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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364886">Quod Vera Comitis</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightNinja27/pseuds/MidnightNinja27'>MidnightNinja27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Regression/De-Aging, Aged-Up Alois Trancy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Astre needs a hug, Bizarre Dolls, Blood Sharing, Blow Jobs, But not really since it’s being watched from someone’s perspective like a Go-Pro, Castration, Demon Alois Trancy, Demon Ciel Phantomhive, Dubiously Consensual Blow Jobs, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Exhibitionism, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Time Blow Jobs, Forced Cohabitation, Forced Crossdressing, Forced Feminization, Golems, Homophobic Language, In both this fic and the actual manga, Inspired by Music, Internalized Homophobia, Intravenous Fluid, It’s actually Astre but the tag is they way it is, Lau is honestly the nicest character, Lizzy honestly would prefer to be a zombie’s wife than the wife of a ‘spare’, Lizzy is a brat, M/M, Masturbation, Medical Experimentation, Medication, Multiple Endings, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, O! Ciel’s name is Astre, Obsessive Behavior, Office Blow Jobs, One-Sided Relationship, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism, Polaris is Kelvin, Poor Ciel Phantomhive, R! Ciel is mentally stuck between ten and fourteen, Sexist Language, Song: I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor), Song: Somewhere Only We Know (Keane), Song: The One That Got Away (Katy Perry), The major character death is Sebastian but he gets better, Two Endings, Undertaker is Vincent and Francis’ father, Undertaker is a bitch, Undertaker is the twins’ grandfather, Unethical Medicine, Widowed, and Lizzy is too, forced sickness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:34:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364886</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightNinja27/pseuds/MidnightNinja27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Sebastian's body is killed after his fight with Undertaker on the Campania.</p><p>When you are not fed love on a silver spoon, you learn to lick it off of knives.</p><p>Two weeks after losing his butler, the Earl of Phantomhive returns home to discover his dead brother alive. If Ciel thinks that he can just return and tip-over Astre's life then he knows nothing. Astre does not handle betrayal well and that is a lesson Ciel is yet to learn.</p><p>The title is Latin for "The True Earl".</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis Leon Midford/Francis Midford, Ciel Phantomhive/Real Ciel Phantomhive, Claude Faustus/Alois Trancy, Claudia Phantomhive/Cedric K. Ros, Claudia Phantomhive/Undertaker, Elizabeth Midford/Ciel Phantomhive, Real Ciel Phantomhive/Elizabeth Midford, Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>217</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=geekeciel">geekeciel</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>The Earl of Phantomhive watched in shock as Undertaker's scythe cut clean through Sebastian's torso,  watching in horror as his butler spat up crimson blood as he caught him.</p><p>"Sebastian?" The blunette weakly called out, holding the demon's head in his hands</p><p>Sebastian's crimson eyes opened as he coughed up more of that crimson blood —blood the exact same shades of his eyes—, "Run, master, run."</p><p>Getting up, the teen stumbled away as fast as his sprained ankle would let him, making it to the hallways where Lizzy was fighting the bizarre dolls.</p><p>Looking back, the noble could see Sebastian pull himself off the ground, heavily bleeding.</p><p>Even still, the butler began to fight Undertaker once more.</p><p>The fight looked absolutely hopeless, Sebastian was critically injuries beyond what the young Earl had ever seen before.</p><p>More blood rolled out of Sebastian's mouth as he was hit again by the scythe, deepening the same wound.</p><p>Eventually, Lizzy cleared a path for them to run through.</p><p>Together, the blonde and the Phantomhive found his aunt and uncle as well as Cousin Edward and got on a lifeboat.</p><p>As the boat rocked in the chilly Atlantic Ocean, the blunette stared at the sinking ship, waiting for his butler to arrive.</p><p>***</p><p>Hours passed and the ship was soon completely covered by waves.</p><p>None of the undead resurfaced...nor did Sebastian.</p><p>The young Earl never took his eye off of the Oxford blue ocean, hoping that his butler would emerge.</p><p>Even when everyone else stared at the rescue ship that arrived, he never looked away from where the ship had sunk.</p><p>***</p><p>Within a few days, the young Earl was back in England and in his carriage back to his manor.</p><p>It was easy to say he was a mess after Sebastian died on the ship.</p><p>He still had hope his butler was alive, the seal of their contact remained on his eye.</p><p>Every night before he fell asleep, he would hold his fingertips against his right cheek and whisper, "Sebastian, this is an order, come back to me."</p><p>The servants tried their best to help him, tried to make him sweets to improve his mood.</p><p>The blunette appreciated how much they cared, even though the inedible sweets they offered resembled charcoal more than chocolate, but it wasn't enough.</p><p>It became clear in a matter of days how necessary Sebastian was, things began to become broken and weren't fixed, chores were left horribly done.</p><p>***</p><p>Eventually, the first week went by and he came to a decision.</p><p>Sitting in his office, doing paperwork, the Earl pulled a string that would ring a bell in the kitchen to summon a servant.</p><p>Within a few minutes Tanaka arrived, "You called, my lord?"</p><p>The noble nodded, "Yes, you're exactly who I wanted to see. I am restoring your position as butler to the Phantomhives. With Sebastian gone, someone needs to keep everything in check."</p><p>The elderly man nodded, "You can count on me, young master."</p><p>"I know I can." The blunette replied...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(A/N: Sorry it’s so short, it’s just the prologue.)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Return</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Like he did every morning, the Earl of Phantomhive woke up in his bed in the master bedroom.</p><p>But, the past few weeks, he had devolved a habit that he indulged in when the servants weren’t around.</p><p>He had begun sleeping in one of Sebastian’s spare tailcoats over his usual nightshirt.</p><p>The blunette could still smell he demon’s scent in he black wool, the familiar cinnamon and pine.</p><p>So, before Tanaka arrived to help him begin his day, the young Earl removed three tailcoat and folded it as best he could before hiding it under the pillow.</p><p>A few minutes later, the elderly butler entered the room with the tea cart, “Good morning, young master.”</p><p>Within the next few minutes, the blunette found himself dressed in his classic royal blue overcoat that had a black bow on the back and matching blue shorts and had a white lace jabot and black ribbon around his neck.</p><p>Black silk stockings covered his legs, held in place by black leather garters and black and blue boots hid his small feet.</p><p>And of course, a black eyepatch was tied around his eye —but he had tied that himself before the Japanese man had arrived.</p><p>***</p><p>A few minutes more passed and the teenage Earl was in his dining room eating a basic breakfast alone.</p><p>As he finished his meal, the other servants entered the room and went to Tanaka, ready to receive their daily chores.</p><p>The blunette barely paid attention, imagining Sebastian’s voice in his head as he heard the elderly butler speak.</p><p>Once the tasks were assigned, the Earl began to walk to his office to do paperwork, stepping through the foyer to get to the stairs.</p><p>Before he could get to the stairs, he saw the front door was open a bit, as if someone hadn’t closed it all the way after entering.</p><p>“I believe someone is in the house, young master.” Tanaka whispered, keeping his master close to protect him</p><p>The Earl nodded, taking the hint and staying behind the butler, “We must find this intruder immediately.”</p><p>“What a little liar.” A voice smugly laughed from above, “Though I don’t mind that.”</p><p>Turning his head, the Earl of Phantomhive looked up the stairs, tears sprung to his sapphire eye as he saw his brother.</p><p>Ciel Phantomhive stood proudly at the top, dressed as a proper noble now that he had likely taken clothes from his brother’s wardrobe, dressed in a forest green overcoat and shorts that had black detailing with a navy blue ribbon around his neck.</p><p>"You don't have to get all teary-eyed like that, Astre, it's alright. As I said, I have no intention of reprimanding you for your lie." Ciel calmly assured as he slowly made his way down the stairs, "In fact, if there was anyone attempting to hurt you for your lies, I would firmly stand against them."</p><p>Not giving his shocked little brother a chance to speak as he approached, Ciel continued, "I actually want to commend you on doing this. You've done well holding out these past few years all by yourself. And now you don't have to keep lying anymore because I'm back now; I've returned."</p><p>Astre's eye widened as he trembled, "T-This is impossible. I-I-I saw it...I saw it with my own eyes."</p><p>"It is true that I have died once that day, leaving you all alone, but I'm here now! I get to meet you again! My one and only family member left in this world! I'm so happy to see you!" Ciel cheerfully answered, taking his shaking brother’s hands in his</p><p>The younger twin didn't reply, he just stayed in place, his entire body trembling as he looked back and forth from his hands to his brother.</p><p>"Are you not happy to see me, brother dear?" The older twin pouted, "I even brought you a gift."</p><p>Ciel whistled and for a moment Astre believed that their deceased dog had also been brought back to life.</p><p>That thought was instantly killed as a tall, shuffling figure walked into the foyer.</p><p>It was not Sebastian the Dog, but...Sebastian Michaelis.</p><p>The butler had been brought back to life as Ciel had, but the state of his corpse didn't even remotely look alive —even the bodies on the Campania were in better condition Sebastian was.</p><p>Sebastian's tailcoat was completely missing —perhaps lost at sea— and his vest was completely unbuttoned, revealing his now filthy and torn white button-up shirt.</p><p>The shirt was ripped at the stomach, revealing the stitched-up wound Undertaker had given him; his black tie was ripped in half and now resembled a noose more than a tie.</p><p>Like the monsters on the Campania, Sebastian's crimson eyes were covered with a black cloth; additionally his gloves were also missing, leaving his black nails and the mark of their contract on display.</p><p>Sebastian's once alabaster skin was now a sickly fog grey; his lips were flushed blue in their halted decay; his naturally high cheekbones always made his cheeks a bit sunken but now they were absolutely gaunt as they outlined the shape of his skull.</p><p>Two rows of stitches also marred the demon's face: one running from his cheek to nose like Undertaker's face and the second was across his forehead like all the Bizarre Dolls.</p><p>Beside Sebastian was Undertaker, looking very smug as the undead demon shuffled to who had called for it.</p><p>Normally, Sebastian was a bit taller than the reaper, but —because he was limping due to his broken ankle— Undertaker seemed taller.</p><p>"M-Mister Sebastian?!" Mey-Rin, Finny and Bard muttered, their voices thick with disbelief</p><p>“Black?!” Snake exclaimed, also in disbelief</p><p>"Silence," Ciel growled, "servants do not speak without their master's permission. It is a cacophony to my ears."</p><p>Switching from angry to calm instantly, Ciel looked back to his quivering twin, asking, "What do you think of my gift? It was a rather patchy job bringing him back from death but honestly it's all he deserves after what he did to me that day, he doesn't deserve to truly be returned to life."</p><p>"S-Sa-Se-Seb-Sebastian," Astre stuttered, instinctively reaching out to his demon, "c-come here."</p><p>Sebastian made no movement to get closer to his master, staying firmly where he was between Ciel and Undertaker.</p><p>"He won't listen to you anymore, he serves the true master of this house now as the rest of your servants will." Ciel informed with a slight chuckle, "After all, I'm the actual Earl and now that I have returned you're back to being my understudy, my spare."</p><p>Astre's already shaky breaths grew more rapid and panicked, he clutched his chest and he crumbled to the floor.</p><p>This couldn't be happening...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Natural Order</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre collapsed onto the cool tile, his brain running a hundred miles per hour as the two worst days of his life flashed in his eyes.</p><p>The teen couldn't recall when he was, his mind jumping back and forth from that day and Sebastian's death.</p><p>Finny, ever a sweetheart, helped the young master stand back on his feet.</p><p>It was for naught as Astre immediately bent over and vomited his breakfast onto the tile and Finny's shoes.</p><p>Undertaker rolled his eyes at the sight, thought it couldn't be seen because of his long white bangs, "Aren't you happy about this? You get to see your big brother again after all these years. It took some time to bring him to this condition. So what do you think? He's my finest work yet, not a scar or seam out of place. You two were mirror images of each other so I made him grow mature just like you, he can even think and move on his own."</p><p>"Y-You're disgusting." Astre replied, wiping his face with a handkerchief Mey-Rin offered, "The dead are dead."</p><p>"What a closed-minded thing to say, baby brother." Ciel tsked, "Of all people I thought you'd be more accepting of my 'disgusting' nature when you're even more disgusting than I."</p><p>"What?" The younger twin asked, confused as to what he meant</p><p>Ciel laughed a bit, "You see, while Undertaker was putting your dear butler back together we got to watch his cinematic record. It was so very long and full of juicy bits but it's the more recent parts I'm referring to. I never assumed you to be fairy, but from what I've seen you relish in taking gentleman's sausage or are you just the demon's whore in particular?"</p><p>Astre's eye widened as his deepest secret was revealed —one that would get him disowned and humiliated at best and tortured and killed at worst— that he was homosexual.</p><p>The undead twin laughed at his little brother's fear, "You thought I wouldn't find out? Oh, Astre, don't you remember that I always won our games because you could never hide anything from me? You were always so good at lying to everyone except me."</p><p>Not giving Astre a chance to talk, Ciel grabbed his hand and forced him to follow him back to the master bedroom.</p><p>Opening the wardrobe and pushing aside all of the hanging outfits, pulling out two hangers that were hidden in the back.</p><p>One held the pink robin dress he had worn while undercover at Viscount Druitt's party for the Jack the Ripper case.</p><p>The other held the red and gold silk 'China Doll' dress Lau had given him.</p><p>"Care to explain, little brother?" Ciel asked, disgust clear on his face</p><p>Astre's eye widened yet again, a bead of swear dripping down his face, "I-I can explain."</p><p>"I'm sure you can." Ciel laughed, "It's a very easy answer when I already know the truth: you enjoy dressing like a girl when you let the demon mount you like a mare. I can assure you that will not be happening again, Undertaker was very angry when he saw that part of the cinematic record and let's just say...the butler is now lacking certain pieces."</p><p>The younger blunette was struck speechless, unsure what to say.</p><p>"Cat got your tongue, Astre?" Ciel smugly asked, "Or rather, dog got your tongue; seeing that something as ordinary as a cat can get your sickly spare self so ill."</p><p>Cursing himself mentally for this display or weakness, Astre felt a few traitorous tears escape his exposed eye and roll down his cheek.</p><p>He was so exhausted and the day had barely begun, </p><p>"Oh don't cry, brother dear." Ciel mockingly comforted, wiping away Astre's tears, “You’ve been strong for so long, it’s natural to cry.”</p><p>The semi-comforting gesture quickly got aggressive as Ciel firmly held Astre's chin between his thumb and fingers, "In fact, you don't ever have to be strong again. I’ve missed my weak little spare.”</p><p>Astre forced himself to stop crying, still trembling as he spit in his brother’s face, grinding out, “Go fuck off and die again.”</p><p>Ciel was absolutely stunned at his living brother’s defiance, wiping his face off wit his sleeve, “How dare you!”</p><p>Without warning, the older twin slapped the younger hard across the face, “Learn respect or I’ll take your present away again.”</p><p>“D-Don’t.” Astre cried out, a hand on his stinging face, the porcelain skin already bruising</p><p>“Then apologize.” Ciel angrily said</p><p>Swallowing his pride, Astre replied, “I’m sorry, Ciel.”</p><p>“Speak up, baby brother, I believe I misheard you.” Ciel warned, “If I didn’t know better I’d say you didn’t address me properly.”</p><p>Astre looked his slightly taller twin in the eye, “I’m sorry, Lord Ciel.”</p><p>“That’s better.” Ciel laughed, “Now, call up that maid, she’s going to help you get dressed for the day.”</p><p>“I am dressed.” Astre replied</p><p>“You’re dressed like an Earl, which you aren’t anymore since I’m back.” Ciel clarified, “So you’re actually in my clothes. From now on your going to be wearing dresses since you like dressing up as a girl so much.”...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Unwilling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>It was quite embarrassing to be reduced to this: to be forced to dress up in the 'robin' dress and stay silent like a porcelain doll.</p><p>Astre is certain Ciel knows that as well, as smug as the undead boy looked as he sat at the head of the table.</p><p>The younger twin longed to make a jab at him, to point out the fact that while he currently looked like a doll the older twin was an actual doll.</p><p>But he stayed silent for the sake of the other undead person in the room, the butler shuffling around on broken limbs trying to serve lunch.</p><p>The sight of it was extremely disheartening, to see the once graceful and talented man struggling to pour tea into the cup without spilling onto the tablecloth.</p><p>Astre didn't even have to glance at his remaining servants to know they felt exactly the same at the sight —he could hear Finny's quiet sniffles as the gardener tried not to cry.</p><p>Even still, the blunette mentally comforted himself, trying to hide his sadness and anger beneath careful planning.</p><p>He needed to find a way to escape his brother with Sebastian and discover a way to return him to normal.</p><p>Astre didn't care if that meant hunting down another demon or barging into heaven to do that but he needed his Sebastian back.</p><p>That was the main goal, after he had him then they could worry about putting Ciel back in the ground with Undertaker there for good measure; make sure no one could ever do something like this to them again.</p><p>***</p><p>During the following few hours, Astre played along to his brothers games.</p><p>He resumed the role of the sickly little brother the dead boy claimed to miss, acted perfectly polite and feminine.</p><p>Currently, the younger blunette sat at the vanity in he master bedroom, watching as his brother went through his belongings.</p><p>Eventually, Ciel opened a drawer filled with eyepatches; the majority of them were black cotton ones but there were some made of leather, silk or lace —in addition to the plain white medical ones he wore while undercover.</p><p>Ciel picked up one of the standard black cotton ones, tying it around his head to cover his right eye like his twin.</p><p>Once it was on, he looked at himself in the mirror, "I dare say, brother dearest, these suit me more than they ever did you. It feels rather strange but I suppose I'll have to get used to it. After all, now that I'm back I will resume my rightful role as Watchdog. Though, luckily for you, I have no desire to air our dirty laundry to the public and cause scandal by letting others know of your little lie; so I'm going to have to pretend to be you pretending to be me."</p><p>Astre stayed silent, having nothing to say.</p><p>"I guess we'll be sharing clothes again just like we used to, well eyepatches anyways." Ciel hummed, removing the eyepatch and setting it back in its respective drawer, "Oh, also that reminds me: we're also going to start sharing a bed again. I missed having you to cuddle with these past few years sleeping in coffins and beds all alone."</p><p>Astre was intrigued by that: Ciel was acting simultaneously childish yet mature.</p><p>From what Astre had gathered from Undertaker's 'speech', he had taken Ciel's ten year old corpse and morphed him into having the teenage body he had now.</p><p>Additionally, it could be guessed that Ciel had spent most of that time 'asleep' as he had been worked on, so it was plausible he still had the mind of a teh year old.</p><p>Oh and how others had always teased him for being a child 'playing' grown, Ciel truly was one.</p><p>Naturally, Astre said nothing about that, just tucking that knowledge away for later use.</p><p>After all, he remembered how naive his brother could be when they were children, even when he acted all grown up.</p><p>Yes, that would due.</p><p>***</p><p>Dinner was a dreadfully boring affair, the only thing Astre noticed was the fact that Sebastian was not there.</p><p>Around halfway through the meal, Ciel gasped and tried to stand.</p><p>Astre immediately looked up from his plate, seeing his undead brother’s veins bulge and turn black.</p><p>Undertaker immediately helped the older twin back into his seat, “It seems we reached your limit for today.”</p><p>The white haired reaper left and immediately returned with a tube attached to a needle, a bucket and another clear tube that had a needle at each end.</p><p>The first tube with the line needle was stuck into Ciel’s arm.</p><p>Astre watched as black sludge drained out of Ciel’s veins and into the waiting pail beside him.</p><p>Once the trickle of ‘pus’ was completely out, Undertaker removed the needle and set it aside.</p><p>He then picked up the other tube that had the dual needles, sticking one end into Ciel’s arm.</p><p>The younger twin’s eyes widened as the reaper stepped towards him and forced the other needle into his arm.</p><p>Astre yelped out a bit in shock and pain, watching as his blood was stolen and given to his brother.</p><p>His head felt dizzy as his the transfusion was performed, unable to make out what Undertaker was saying.</p><p>It was only after the needle was removed from his arm and the wound wrapped with a bandage that his head finally began to calm.</p><p>“W-What did you do to me?” Astre weakly asked</p><p>Undertaker looked at him, “You just gave a fifth of all the blood in your body to your brother; a whole liter of your special blood.”</p><p>Ciel’s mouth formed into a smirk, “But that’s what proper brother’s do: share everything. I needed it more than you. After all, your living body can make your own blood, so what’s wrong with giving me a little bit?”</p><p>Astre just laid his head back against the hard wood of the chair, sighing as he had nothing else to say...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Brothers at Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>A week passed and soon a bundle of lady's clothing arrived in the mail from Tailor Nina Hopkins along with a note expressing how happy she was to be making more dresses for him after the robin one.</p><p>Ciel had laughed at Astre when he had ready the note aloud, mocking him for his feminine taste.</p><p>But Astre got over that, remaining strong even now as he wore one of those new dresses today.</p><p>This one had a teal skirt that had hand painted pink roses all over it while the bodice was white snd long sleeved with a high ruffled collar.</p><p>Along with it, his legs were covered with pale pink stockings that were trimmed with white lace and his feet covered the same black shoes he usually wore.</p><p>Astre had simply allowed Mey-Rin to dress him this morning, too exhausted from giving blood every other day to do more than stand.</p><p>***</p><p>By noon, Astre was sitting in his former office with his brother, not as his desk but in a chair beside the desk.</p><p>Ciel was groaning and complaining about all the paperwork running an Earldom and a company demanded, asking how his little brother could do it all by himself for years.</p><p>Unknowingly, Astre just shook his head, shocked at his brother's lackadaisical behavior.</p><p>"What?!" Ciel snapped, seeing his movements</p><p>"Nothing." Astre carefully answered, "It's just that you made a great big deal about being the true Earl and yet you've been doing the job for barely a week now and you seem fed up with it."</p><p>"It wouldn't be this hard if your damn company didn't take up half the paperwork!" Ciel shot back, puffing his cheeks, "Maybe I should just get rid of it!"</p><p>Astre's mismatched eyes widened slightly, taking a deep breath, "Calm down, brother dear, think rationally: Funtom makes an average net profit of nearly a quarter million pounds a year. I'm used to this kind of work, how about you do all the paperwork regarding the Earldom and I handle Funtom's work —just like how Mother and Father always said."</p><p>The older twin was silent for a moment, clearly deep in thought before finally exclaiming, "That's a good idea, Astre! Let's do that after we take a break by playing some games."</p><p>The younger twin held in a snort, "Of course, Ciel, which one do you want to play?"</p><p>"I remember seeing a toy room when Undertaker and I were looking around when we arrived." Ciel informed, "Let's play there."</p><p>"Oh, the testing room?" Astre questioned, "I'll lead the way."</p><p>***</p><p>They quickly arrived in the giant room full of all of Funtom's prototype games and toys.</p><p>Bitter Rabbit and all his various styles and sizes made of the majority of the room.</p><p>There was even a Christmas Tree laden with Bitter Rabbit ornaments in the corner by the door.</p><p>"This is a mountain of toys." Ciel commented as they entered</p><p>Astre nodded, picking up the original Bitter Rabbit from its pedestal by the door, "One of every single toy, game and anything else like it my company has ever sold in its four year history is here."</p><p>"There's so much." Ciel muttered, "And this is probably not the half of it."</p><p>"It is all of it, in that category at least." Astre informed, "None of the confections, cosmetics, food nor clothing is here."</p><p>Ciel just blinked, only now fully realizing how big his little brother's company was.</p><p>Astre walked towards the other side of the room, moving a Bitter Rabbit as big as him out of the way to reveal a train set.</p><p>"This was one of the first toys after Bitter Rabbit." Astre said, "I remembered how much you loved the trains we played with so I improved upon them."</p><p>"Y-You made them for me?" Ciel softly asked</p><p>The younger blunette nodded, "Yes, every single train and it's matching sets were made with you in mind."</p><p>A red tinted tear fell from Ciel's right eye but was quickly wiped away, "Then let's play with them now."</p><p>Astre carefully opened the packaging, pulling out the red model train and the set of tracks that came with it.</p><p>He then grabbed a bag of the separately sold track pieces to extend it, setting the train down on it.</p><p>"There you go, tell me if you want the other matching sets."<br/>
Astre said, sitting on the ground beside his brother</p><p>Ciel nodded, beginning to play with the train.</p><p>***</p><p>While Ciel was busy with the trains, Astre rang for a servant —Mey-Rin coming to answer the call— and told her to get the paperwork from his office as well as a quill and ink pot.</p><p>Astre did all of Funtom's paperwork while Ciel was still on 'break' so he began the Earldom's paperwork, leaving everything to just be signed by his brother to prevent a tantrum.</p><p>Let Ciel feel like the Earl, Astre would continue doing the actual work until he could come up with a plan.</p><p>***</p><p>It wasn't until dinner Astre noticed that both Undertaker and Sebastian were missing.</p><p>Only his servants were bear with him and Ciel.</p><p>Suspecting there was likely enemies waiting outside to see if he tried to escape, Astre just had dinner with his brother.</p><p>***</p><p>That night, after a bit more play, Ciel and Astre went to their shared bedroom.</p><p>Ciel insisted they bathe together, so Astre joined him in the tub.</p><p>Once they were both nude and sat in the warm water, Astre's eyes wondered to his brother's stomach.</p><p>There, where the cultist had stabbed him, was a perfectly straight line of black stitches like the one along his forehead.</p><p>Ciel must have noticed Astre staring because he said, “It used to hurt a lot, but the area is just numb now.”</p><p>“What?” Astre asked, being taken out from thought</p><p>“Where that bastard stabbed me.” Ciel clarified, taking Astre’s hand and putting on the stitches, “It used to hurt a whole lot but now I don’t feel anything that touches it anymore.”</p><p>Astre just ran his fingers over it, feeling the thick black thread and bumpy skin.</p><p>After awhile they began to bathe and dried off, going to bed.</p><p>Ciel wore one of Astre’s old nightshirts and Astre wore a plain white nightgown that had been sent with the other gowns.</p><p>Cuddled up together in bed —at Ciel’s insistence—, the older twin whispered a “Good night.”</p><p>Astre closed his eyes, swearing he heard Ciel add, “I love you, Astre.”...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: a quarter million pounds in the Victorian Era is worth about three hundred and twenty-five million pounds or four hundred and thirty-three million dollars today.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The One That Got Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yana hasn't revealed Claudia's husband's last name or backstory so I just filled in the blanks how I think it fits.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>A few days more passed and Astre witness more occasions where his undead brother's cold persona cracked and revealed the loving brother he remembered.</p><p>Whether it was cuddles, playing together or even just being allowed to wear masculine clothes, Astre actually felt like his brother was back and not just his reanimated corpse.</p><p>Of course, things could never be simple for him and Lizzy arrived unexpectedly.</p><p>***</p><p>It was a bright morning, the birds chirping as the sun was done rising.</p><p>But, the peace quickly ended when the front door was knocked upon.</p><p>Tanaka answered the door, nearly getting stampeded over as Lizzy rushed in, squealing out, “Cieeeeelllll~”</p><p>Walking into the foyer from the dining room, Ciel greeted her with a smile, “Hello, Lizzy.”</p><p>The blonde girls looked at him in shock, “W-Where’s your eyepatch, Ciel?”</p><p>And that’s when a girl walked into the foyer as well, dressed similarly to Lizzy as they both wore light green gowns.</p><p>Lizzy instantly noticed the other ‘girl’ was wearing one of the eyepatches Ciel usually wore.</p><p>Her brain connected the dots, if the Ciel was seeing wasn’t the one she had known these past few years then that meant the one in the eyepatch was Astre.</p><p>***</p><p>Undertaker was a smart man, he had to be to be where he was now.</p><p>The reaper was nearly half a millennia old and in that time he had learned quite a lot, but this past century was the one most important to him.</p><p>His life had been so boring before, just collecting souls and watching cinematic records.</p><p>But everything changed when he had met Her.</p><p>Countess Claudia Phantomhive was unlike any human he had ever met before or since.</p><p>It had taken years to gain her trust and friendship but eventually they had fallen in love.</p><p>He had done everything for her, quit the dispatch and joined her hunting down criminals for her job as Queen's Guard Dog.</p><p>But then, news had come falling down: she had been engaged to Mr. Cedric K. Rosenfield since birth.</p><p>The man had not a drop of noble blood in his veins but he was the son of an incredibly wealthy spice merchant in Germany.</p><p>And that was something the Phantomhives desperately needed after generations of mismanagement: money.</p><p>So, he had just stood aside and watched as the love of his life married another man, him taking her last name.</p><p>***</p><p>It was September 25, 1850: the worst day of his life.</p><p>Currently, the white haired reaper sat on the front row of pews during the wedding, dressed up like a proper gentleman for their occasion instead of his usual black robe.</p><p>Claudia was so beautiful in her white long-sleeved wedding dress, the veil snd skirt dragging slightly behind her and s gold headpiece holding the veil to her bun.</p><p> </p><p>He had ignored most of Cedric's vows to Claudia, only paying attention when the priest asked, "Do you take Claudia to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage?  Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?"</p><p>Locking eyes with Claudia, green and yellow rings staring into pale blue, Undertaker mouthed "I do." as Cedric said it —the groom’s thick accent drowning out the reaper’s whisper.</p><p>A tear fell from her left eye, mostly hidden under her veil as the priest turned to her.</p><p>"Claudia," The old holy man asked, "do you take Cedric to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage?  Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him, for as long as you both shall live?"</p><p>The blue haired woman nodded, “I do.”</p><p>Cedric lifted her veil, gently kissing her lips.</p><p>Undertaker looked down as she kissed back, a tear falling from his right eye, stopping himself from crying more.</p><p>***</p><p>Though, Undertaker had victory over Cedric in the end.</p><p>It was not the husband who fathered Claudia's children, but him.</p><p>Which was why he was so obsessed with protecting the Phantomhives, since he couldn't save his love who died fifteen years after birthing their son, just barely thirty-six years old when she was stuck suddenly ill with cholera.</p><p>Nor could he save his son ten years after he had become a father, his home and body burned beyond recognition...even his bones burned to ashes.</p><p>But, he had saved one grandson from death and was working to free the other from the demon he had attached himself to.</p><p>So, to do that, he needed to stop what Astre was doing to Ciel.</p><p>They couldn't be brothers again until the demon was out of the picture for good.</p><p>Killing the demon hadn't been enough to free Astre from the contract, so he needed to find another solution.</p><p>His daughter and her children did not need his protection as much as his son's family did, they were not on the 'firing line'.</p><p>Which is why his granddaughter was the one he needed to keep Ciel from joining Astre.</p><p>It was up to her to keep his plan steady.</p><p>One false step could send the whole operation crumbling, he could and would not risk that.</p><p>Not with Claudia’s legacy and descendants on the line...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't like Undertaker and yet I made myself cry with that backstory. Mans went from 3rd favorite to 3rd most hated in the newest arc. It did not help to listen to sad live songs while writing this. Listen to the slowed version of Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away" and reread the chapter to join my pain.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Earl and his Lady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Lizzy sat beside her true fiancé on the bench in the garden, her head resting in his shoulder.</p><p>Remembering her chat with Undertaker she had little after she arrived, she spoke and broke their comforting silence, “I have a fun idea.”</p><p>“What?” Ciel excitedly asked</p><p>“Let’s play a prank on Astre like we used to!” Lizzy answered, clapping her hands together to encourage him</p><p>After all, Undertaker specifically ordered her to stop the twins from rekindling their friendship and brotherhood.</p><p>Ciel seemed to consider it, asking what they should do.</p><p>The emerald eyed girl came up with an idea, “Let’s spook him a bit by locking him in a room.”</p><p>Together, they picked out a suitable room and got it ready for the prank, then finding Astre in the office doing paperwork and leading him there.</p><p>***</p><p>Astre walked into the room and immediately Lizzy and Ciel closed the door shut behind him, both using an arm to hold it shut.</p><p>"What the Hell!" Astre cries out</p><p>Lizzy giggles, playfully patting at Ciel's shoulder with her free hand, "Tell him."</p><p>"You wanted to see your butler so bad, here he is!" Ciel called out so his brother could hear him, momentarily adding, "Now go give him a kiss!"</p><p>***</p><p>As he walked into the room Ciel and Lizzy led him to, the younger twin jumped slightly when he heard the door slam but behind him.</p><p>Turning back around, he found the door shut as expected, but after he turned around once more he found himself not alone.</p><p>Standing across the room was Sebastian in all his halted decay, back from wherever Undertaker had taken him.</p><p>"What the Hell?" Astre shouted, overwhelmed</p><p>"You wanted to see your butler so bad," Ciel exclaimed from behind the door, "here he is!"</p><p>Tears sprung to Astre's eye as he looked at Sebastian, specifically at his face.</p><p>No longer were his eyes covered by that black cloth, but the sight no less distressed him.</p><p>Sebastian's eyes had always been Astre's favorite thing about his lover as it was the only bit of color he had.</p><p>The monochrome butler only ever wore black, white and grey so his crimson eyes were always the focus.</p><p>Additionally, Astre liked them because while Sebastian's body was that of a young man, his eyes were the only sign of what laid coiled behind the human shell as they were absolutely ancient.</p><p>But now, those crimson eyes no longer hinted at their true age or his personality, now they were all cloudy and the pupils were a red so light it was nearly grey.</p><p>Those weren't the eyes of the butler that had served him these past few years, of the demon who protected him with his life, of the man who had confessed his eternal love on his knees one autumn afternoon.</p><p>Ciel then added, as only a few seconds had passed, "Now go give him a kiss!" </p><p>That brought the blunette's eyes to Sebastian's lips.</p><p>They were dusted blue in their decay, no longer that pale pink that was almost the same shade as his pale skin.</p><p>Those weren’t the lips that had always called him “my lord” nor “young master”, the lips that recently began calling him “my love” and “amica mea”, the lips that kissed him awake and goodnight.</p><p>Astre sobbed, his suppressed grief finally coming free as he sunk to the floor.</p><p>Hiding his face between his knees, Astre mumbled through his tears, "W-Where are you, S-Seba-Sebastian? You promised you'd always be by my side! Y-You...You promised. W-Where are you? H-He-Help me. Hel-Help me."</p><p>***</p><p>From the other side of the door, Ciel stopped holding the door shut once he heard his twin beginning to sob.</p><p>Lizzy continued to hold it shut, using both hands to make up for Ciel stopping, "What's wrong, Ciel?"</p><p>The blue eyed boy looked at her, "I think he's crying, open the door."</p><p>"It's just a prank, Ciel, it's harmless." The blonde replied, "Remember what you always said when we pranked him years ago? Asthmatic Astre is always afraid."</p><p>"I never said that, you were the one that always said that! I always told you to stop calling him that." Ciel countered, pushing her aside to open the door</p><p>The sight he was greeted with was depressing: his little brother in the fetal position on the floor crying while Sebastian stood mindlessly in front of him.</p><p>As he got closer to his twin, Ciel could hear his brother weeping out "Help me."</p><p>Instantly going down to his knees, Ciel helped Astre sit up and hugged him close, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry. It was Lizzy's idea, Astre."</p><p>Astre tried to push him away, but he was too exhausted to do more than rumple Ciel’s clothes a bit.</p><p>So, he just let himself stand up and followed Ciel back to their room, getting assisted onto the bed.</p><p>Staring blankly into space, Astre tried to pull himself back together but was failing, continuing to cry...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Heart Strings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Being brought back to life was such a strange feeling.</p><p>One moment he was being cut open and gutted by Undertaker's scythe and the next he is on an operating table.</p><p>"Hello again, butler," Undertaker greeted, putting a needle and surgery thread away, "it was so very hard to accomplish this."</p><p>"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked, trying to move but unable to</p><p>Undertaker ignored him, "I was unable to gather any demonic blood —your kind is so slippery— so you'll just have to make do with ordinary, Vega human blood."</p><p>Sebastian repeated his question, "What are you doing?"</p><p>Once again, the demon was ignored, the reaper muttering, "We'll have to get rid of that annoying tongue won't we."</p><p>"Is it done yet?" Another voice asked, walking into the room</p><p>Sebastian turned to look at the origin of the voice, seeing his young master wearing a pale blue hospital gown and barefoot.</p><p>The blunette was holding onto a IV stand that was holding several blood bags labeled 'Sirius' that were connected into his limbs.</p><p>Had Astre been hurt? Sebastian tried yet again to get up and help when he noticed something on Astre's right eye.</p><p>Or —more accurately— something not on his eye: the mark of their contract.</p><p>At first he feared their contract might have dissolved but then he noticed something else missing: the scent of Astre's intoxicatingly delicious soul.</p><p>Finally, he noticed the band of stitches across the blue eyed teen's forehead: marking him as a Bizarre Doll.</p><p>This wasn't his beloved Astre, but the real Ciel that had died years ago.</p><p>"He is awake, young lord." Undertaker answered, stepping away from the immobile demon</p><p>Ciel walked fully into he room, standing where Undertaker had formerly been, "I remember what you did to me that day."</p><p>Sebastian remembered it just as well: Ciel's soul had been the price for him to be summoned to grant Astre's wish.</p><p>He said just that, "That was the price for your brother's survival; a life for a life."</p><p>"So?!" Ciel whined, stomping his feet like a toddler, "You didn't have to take it!"</p><p>Still trying to move any part of his body besides his head, Sebastian replied, letting a bit of his demonic vice through, "I was hungry."</p><p>All that resulted in was Undertaker stabbing him with the scythe again.</p><p>***</p><p>The next time he was conscious, he knew he was in a vehicle, feeling the bumping of the uneven road.</p><p>He tried to move with still no success, he tried to speak with no luck there either, so he tried to look around.</p><p>But, he couldn't, his eyes were covered with a cloth.</p><p>Sebastian then felt someone roughly help him up snd out of a wagon, lead him inside and hold him still somewhere with a tile floor.</p><p>"I even brought you a gift!" Sebastian heard Ciel say before whistling</p><p>Against his will, Sebastian walked towards the source of the voice, stopping automatically when he reached it.</p><p>"M-Mister Sebastian?!" Mey-Rin, Finny and Bard muttered, their voices thick with disbelief</p><p>"Black?!" Snake exclaimed, also in disbelief</p><p>Sebastian mentally cringed: if he could hear the servants then he knew Astre was there as well.</p><p>He sniffed, confimjng it when he smelled Astre's distressed soul.</p><p>"Silence," Ciel growled, "servants do not speak without their master's permission. It is a cacophony to my ears."</p><p>Sebastian heard Ciel turn to where Astre presumably was, "What do you think of my gift? It was a rather patchy job bringing him back from death but honestly it's all he deserves after what he did to me that day, he doesn't deserve to truly be returned to life."</p><p>"S-Sa-Se-Seb-Sebastian," Astre stuttered, "c-come here."</p><p>Sebastian longed to move and obey his beloved but he couldn't, he couldn't even offering him a comforting look.</p><p>"He won't listen to you anymore, he serves the true master of this house now as the rest of your servants will." Ciel chuckled, "After all, I'm the actual Earl and now that I have returned you're back to being my understudy, my spare."</p><p>Sebastian heard Astre hyperventilating and then retch, smelling the semi-digested food.</p><p>Eventually, he heard Ciel drag Astre away and found himself shoved into a cramped box he assumed was a coffin.</p><p>***</p><p>A few hours later, Sebastian was taken out of the coffin and dragged to —since he memorized the entire layout of the manor— the dining room.</p><p>Smelling food, he knew lunch was occurring and could hear people talking.</p><p>At some point, a teapot was forced into his hands and his body moved on its own to began pouring it.</p><p>By sound alone, Sebastian knew more of it was hitting the tablecloth than the porcelain teacup.</p><p>A part of him felt ashamed, what kind of butler can't even pour tea?</p><p>One that cannot see or even move their limbs.</p><p>***</p><p>After the meal, Sebastian was shoved into the coffin yet again and didn't know how long he was 'asleep'.</p><p>But when he woke up, he was told to stay still so his unresponsive body obeyed.</p><p>At least the blindfold was off, so he could see that he was stuck in the drawing room.</p><p>Minutes passed and eventually the door opened again to reveal Astre wearing a dress.</p><p>"What the Hell?" Astre shouted as he was locked in the room</p><p>"You wanted to see your butler so bad," Ciel exclaimed from behind the door, "here he is!"</p><p>Ciel then added, "Now go give him a kiss!" </p><p>Astre sobbed, sinking to the floor and hiding his face between his knees, mumbling through his tears, "W-Where are you, S-Seba-Sebastian? You promised you'd always be by my side! Y-You...You promised. W-Where are you? H-He-Help me. Hel-Help me."</p><p>Sebastian longed to hold him in his arms and assure him that it would be alright, but he couldn’t.</p><p>From the other side of the door, he heard Lady Elizabeth ask, "What's wrong, Ciel?"</p><p>"I think he's crying, open the door." The older twin replied</p><p>"It's just a prank, Ciel, it's harmless." The blonde replied, "Remember what you always said when we pranked him years ago? Asthmatic Astre is always afraid."</p><p>"I never said that, you were the one that always said that! I always told you to stop calling him that." Ciel countered, opening the door</p><p>Ciel dropped to his knees and helped Astre sit up before hugging him close, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry. It was Lizzy's idea, Astre."</p><p>Once the twins were gone and Elizabeth scampered off, Sebastian stayed there until he passed out, waking up in yet again in a coffin...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Revelations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Undertaker was disturbed by the lack of his success his plan to keep the twins separated was going.</p><p>Ever attempt he made to accomplish just that ended up yielding the opposite result to the one he wanted.</p><p>Where he had arranged the rift between the brothers to stay, it had ended up shrinking.</p><p>Going into his medical supplies, he found a vial of blood from someone who had a cold when they had been collected from, he put it into a syringe.</p><p>The reaper would be injecting it into Astre tonight while he was asleep, perhaps a round of sickness would halt their interactions.</p><p>***</p><p>The next morning, Astre was miserable; it seemed he must have caught ill somewhere because today he felt horrible.</p><p>Ever since he woke up: he had a fever, his nose was leaking like an old faucet and his head was pounding.</p><p>Even sick, there was work to be done so he had attempted to do his daily paperwork but Ciel had forbidden him from doing anything except resting.</p><p>While he hated being unproductive, the blunette decided to use this time to figure out how to help Sebastian.</p><p>He didn’t know anything about demonic biology to even begin to help him physically so he had to look through other options.</p><p>Perhaps he could find another demon somewhere and get help from them?</p><p>That wouldn’t work, demons were greedy and wouldn’t do anything without incentive.</p><p>Astre longed to ask for Sebastian’s help but that was impossible for now.</p><p>That was what was keeping the younger twin sane about his lover’s situation: Sebastian was a Bizarre Doll unable to help him for now.</p><p>Those two words were a mantra to him currently: “for now”.</p><p>Sighing, Astre fell back to his pillows and fell back asleep, dreaming of a happier time where he and Sebastian were alone.</p><p>***</p><p>Awhile later, Ciel carefully opened the door to the master bedroom, "Are you awake, Astre?"</p><p>All he got was a groan in response, seeing his little brother laying in the bed with a pile of used tissues on the floor beside him.</p><p>Ciel set the tray he was holding on the table and helped his twin sit up, "Are you hungry? I brought you some food."</p><p>Astre just nodded, his head pounding too hard to think properly.</p><p>"I made you some creamy three mushroom risotto and a pork and wine pot-au-feu along with a warm apple compote with yogurt for dessert." Ciel smiled, placing the tray on his lap, "Tanaka helped me this time, father and Uncle Diedrich helped me last time. Do you remember that? I've missed taking care of you, Astre."</p><p>Astre didn't reply, just picking up his fork and beginning to eat the risotto.</p><p>When his brother had eaten several bites in silence, Ciel was getting antsy, "What do you think of it?"</p><p>"I can't taste anything right now except salt, Ciel, I'm sick so my tastebuds aren't working." Astre replied, "But the texture is very good. I imagine it tastes just as good as it did last time."</p><p>Ciel smiled, sitting next to him in bed, cuddling against him, "Are you tired? I can feed you if you want."</p><p>Astre looked at him, reminding him, "I'm sick, you shouldn't be touching me right now."</p><p>"That's one of the few perks of being dead, I can't get sick anymore." Ciel sadly replied before suddenly becoming happy, "So we can cuddle all the time.m! Can I feed you?"</p><p>Astre denied him, saying he wanted to eat at his own pace.</p><p>"Okay," Ciel pouted, "Tanaka and I also made orange marmalade water ice if you're still hungry, it's not ready yet since it has to freeze."</p><p>The sick twin nodded as he was busy eating the pot-au-feu.</p><p>Soon, everything was eaten except the apples and yogurt.</p><p>Dipping his fork into the dessert, Astre pressed t the first mouthful to his brother's lips.</p><p>Shocked, Ciel opened his mouth and ate it.</p><p>The apples were warm and caramelized —flavored with lemon zest, cinnamon and cloves— with the yogurt providing a coolness.</p><p>Astre then continued eating the rest, finishing that as well.</p><p>When Astre finished eating, Ciel moved the tray away so they could cuddle better.</p><p>***</p><p>They stayed in silence for an hour or so, just enjoying each other's presence.</p><p>Seemingly out of nowhere, Astre spoke, "What if you hadn't died, where would we have gone?"</p><p>Ciel didn't have an answer for that, so he didn't reply but he began to think.</p><p>What would they have done?</p><p>There was only six ways that their month in captivity would have gone.</p><p>The first was the way it did go.</p><p>The second was that Astre had died instead and their current situations were flipped.</p><p>The third was that they both died.</p><p>The fourth was the best in his opinion, they were rescued by either Undertaker or Scotland Yard.</p><p>The fifth was only marginally better than the first three: someone else bought them instead of the cult and they ended up most likely in sexual slavery.</p><p>And the sixth was the second best way: that they managed to escape and struggled their way to London to try and locate their Aunt Ann.</p><p>After thinking about it for awhile, Ciel sighed, lacing their fingers together, "I don't know."</p><p>Astre sat up, blowing his nose and groaning a bit after he tossed the tissue away, "Me either."</p><p>***</p><p>Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford was upset.</p><p>No, upset wasn't the right word, Lizzy realized, she was perturbed.</p><p>Her precious Ciel refused to spend any time with her since Astre got sick.</p><p>Even before that, all Ciel wanted to talk about was his stupid spare.</p><p>It was always "Astre this" or "Astre that" never about her or their love!</p><p>Most of the time she felt like he didn't even love her, he only talked to her if Astre was asleep or busy.</p><p>She was his fiancée and would be his wife in a few years! Not Astre!</p><p>That thought made two dots connect in her brain like a flash of lightning: was Ciel in love with his twin; not just familial love but romantic love?</p><p>Lizzy's green eyes welled with tears: that couldn't be true, that was disgusting.</p><p>And her sweet Ciel wasn't disgusting like his fairy brother...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shameless plug but if you're interested in those other paths Ciel thought of, I have fics that follow the third, fifth and sixth ones.</p><p>The fifth is called "Deliciae Fictilem Dolor". It is a twins x Sebastian fic.</p><p>The third called "Immortuae". This is a Cielcest/O!Ciel x R!Ciel fic.</p><p>The sixth one isn’t out yet but it will be called “Incolumem” and it will have the same ships as this fic.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Unholy Kisses of Blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>It takes a week but Astre recovers from his round with a cold and is fully recovered.</p><p>Even though he was no longer in pain or showing any signs of sickness, Ciel demanded Astre spend one more day in bed to 'gather his strength'.</p><p>At least in this day, the younger twin was finally allowed to tend to his stacked-up work.</p><p>So he immediately began reading through his paperwork as soon as he finished breakfast.</p><p>***</p><p>Astre was the only one gathering something today.</p><p>Where the younger twin was collecting strength, the older one was collecting his courage.</p><p>As far as Ciel could remember, he had always loved his little brother.</p><p>He didn't remember that love left familiar and entered romantic territory, but he did remember that the day he was told he had to marry Lizzy when they grew up was the worst day of his life —at that point, being tortured for a month and then murdered easily topped that but still.</p><p>While he was attracted to Lizzy since she was very pretty and usually equally sweet, he only wanted his brother as his wife.</p><p>When he had first 'woken up' after that horrible month, he had hoped to find his brother and rekindle their relationship and perhaps take it where he had always wanted it to be.</p><p>But it was too late, Astre had given his heart to a demon...the very same demon that had eaten Ciel's soul and wanted to eat Astre's.</p><p>At least, that horrible demon was out of the way now so Ciel knew he had a second chance.</p><p>So, he stopped in the kitchen and picked up the plate of chocolate truffles he had Tanaka make yesterday.</p><p>The blue-eyed teen then carried that plate and went up to the master bedroom.</p><p>"Hello." Astre greeted, hearing the door open but not look away from his paper</p><p>Ciel sat next to him on the bed, placing the plate on his twin's lap, "I got you a snack."</p><p>Astre looked down at the plate, each chocolate truffle had two chocolate shells and the center was chocolate hazelnut ganache so the entire truffle resembled a oyster shell.</p><p>"It looks delicious." Astre stared, picking one up and eating it, "And it tastes just as good."</p><p>The older blunette smiled, happy his brother liked the treat, "I...uh...had something to tell you."</p><p>"What is it?" Astre asked, still not looking at him</p><p>Sighing, Ciel gently grabbed his twin's face and brought their lips together.</p><p>Astre's mismatched eyes widened in shock, thinking only that his brother kissed nothing like Sebastian.</p><p>Sebastian kissed with a passion that made Astre practically melt into his arms, Ciel's kiss was a fumbly mess.</p><p>Because of that —as well as the fact he wasn't interested in a romantic relationship with his twin— he didn't kiss back.</p><p>But then Astre realized something: just as he had been playing the role of little brother to gain Ciel's trust to get Sebastian back, additionally playing lover would probably get him to his goal faster.</p><p>So, imagining it was Sebastian kissing him, Astre kissed back.</p><p>Astro could feel Ciel's shock as they kissed but they didn't separate until the younger was gasping for air.</p><p>"I love you, Astre." Ciel admitted, blushing, "I always have."</p><p>Astre smiled back, lying as he said, "I love you too and I know."</p><p>While he did live his older twin, he didn't love him the same way.</p><p>"You knew?" Ciel gulped</p><p>"I've always been subconsciously aware of your attraction to me, dear Ciel. How you tried to hoard me away when you came back, claiming it was because you wanted to prevent scandal. How you were wanting to constantly cuddle with me and play with me and be near me. Even as children, you'd always bully Lizzy, her family, our dog, the servants and even mother and father into leaving me alone with you." Astre explained, "I've always known you loved me more than you were supposed to."</p><p>Ciel nodded, his blush darkening.</p><p>The older twin then froze, screaming out, "UNDERTAKER!"</p><p>He proceeded to collapse into the bed, his veins turning black and bulging out.</p><p>The reaper barged into the room moments later with the bucket, tubes and needles.</p><p>Like before, the one sided needle was stuck into his arm to drain all the pus into the bucket.</p><p>Undertaker began to prep the double sided needle to be used but Ciel stopped him.</p><p>"Don't." Ciel weakly called out, his voice barely audible, "H-He jus' got better. G-Get bot-bottle."</p><p>Undertaker's eyebrow rose but he left the room and returned with a extra-large flask-like bottle that read "Sirius".</p><p>The blood was carefully poured into the tubes and into Ciel’s emptied veins, giving him a liter of new blood.</p><p>A few moments passed but Ciel sat up, rejuvenated.</p><p>“Sorry about that.” Ciel said, “That happens if I get too excited as the week nears an end, it spreads my time up.”</p><p>Astre just nodded.</p><p>***</p><p>Undertaker was suspicious.</p><p>What had gotten Ciel so excited his body rejected his ‘donated’ blood a few days early?</p><p>Looking out the window to the gardens below, he could see his grandsons sitting in the garden side-by-side with their fingers laced together.</p><p>It was obvious that their friendship was rekindled and Lizzy had failed her task.</p><p>The white-haired reaper huffed, nothing was going according to his plan to fully revive Ciel and free Astre from that damned demon at all...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Somewhere Only We Know</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Listen to the Max Schneider cover of “Somewhere Only We Know” while reading it for full feels.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre looked up as he and Ciel sat in the garden, mismatched eyes locking onto Undertaker's green and yellow ringed ones.</p><p>His plan needed him to have Ciel's trust and he couldn't accomplish that goal with the reaper's meddling.</p><p>So, the younger twin turned to the older, "Let's go to our special place."</p><p>Ciel blinked at him, "There's a new one?"</p><p>Astre shook his head, "No, it's at the ruins of the old manor. When Sebastian rebuilt the manor he built it in perfect detail, except I didn't tell him about our special place; it didn't seem right to have it without you."</p><p>Ciel frowned at the mention of the demon but kissed Astre's cheek, "Well I'm never going anywhere ever again!"</p><p>Hand in hand, they left the garden and walked through the bit of woods hiding the ruins, going to the overgrown garden there and approaching a tiny shack.</p><p>The shack was once a gardener's home but had been abandoned when all the servants moved into the servant's quarters within the manor, so the twins had claimed it as their special place.</p><p>No one besides them had been inside it since it's abandonment —excluding Sebastian the Dog that often accompanied them— and no one had been there since before that month.</p><p>Going inside, the twins found the wooden shack exactly the way they had left it.</p><p>It was incredibly dusty and filled with cobwebs, but untouched by the flames that had destroyed their home.</p><p>Dusting off a cushion with his hand, Astre sat down by the crate that acted as the table.</p><p>He looked down at the 'table', seeing sheets of paper rotting all around and pastels littering the surface.</p><p>Astre smiled sadly, last time they had been here they had colored with their pastels before going back inside.</p><p>Ciel sat across from him, looking to the corner where a few cushions laid atop a rusty bed frame, knowing that's where their pet would rest.</p><p>"What did you want to talk about?" Ciel asked, turning back to his brother</p><p>Astre shrugged, "I don't know, I just wanted to be alone with you."</p><p>And away from Undertaker, is what he didn’t add.</p><p>The older blunette smiled at that, "I love you so much, Astre."</p><p>"I love you too." The younger replied, still half-lying</p><p>Ciel sighed with a mixture of happiness and sadness, "I wish I could marry you instead of Lizzy."</p><p>Astre mentally screamed at that but his face didn't show it, he just forced a blush, "If only."</p><p>***</p><p>When the sun began to set, the twins returned to the manor.</p><p>Astre was busy working on paperwork so Ciel was wondering boredly around the manor.</p><p>Getting an idea, he went back up to the master bedroom to retrieve something he had hidden there before going down to the servant’s quarters.</p><p>The undead teen opened the door to the room his brother’s butler was being kept.</p><p>He opened the coffin’s lid and ordered him to stand.</p><p>The demon-doll hybrid shakily stood, not moving.</p><p>Ciel then used the training reaper’s scythe Undertaker had gifted him to access the demon’s cinematic record.</p><p>***</p><p>The demon had been in his bedroom in the servants quarters working on some of the paperwork his young master wasn't educated enough to work on —that was no insult, just a fact as the ten year old was very smart just not quite to this point yet; but given how quickly he was learning it was only the matter of weeks until he was.</p><p>Either way, no one could expect a child to open a business with no adult assistance.</p><p>Sebastian was taken out of his work when he heard light footsteps approaching his room.</p><p>Sebastian immediately turned towards the door, feeling the silverware hidden in his sleeves in case he needed to protect his master.</p><p>He knew it wasn't Tanaka approaching as he could hear the elderly man's snoring a few rooms over.</p><p>But it wasn't an attacker or someone holding his little master hostage, but his little master himself.</p><p>It seemed the nightmares were still yet to leave.</p><p>Unlike the previous occasions where his tiny master had woken up screaming his name or for his help or just out in terror, this night seemed to be different.</p><p>The blunette said nothing, he just walked over to the butler's bed and laid down under the covers.</p><p>Sebastian was very surprised at that: why would his master want to sleep in the creaky, lumpy bed down in the servant's quarters when his own bed upstairs in the master bedroom was extremely comfortable.</p><p>The red eyed demon was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the young Earl speak.</p><p>"Come lay with me." The boy demanded</p><p>Sebastian removed his tailcoat and shoes before he did as told, laying in the bed beside him.</p><p>"Hold me." Was the next order.</p><p>The demon turned to his side and faced the the year old, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.</p><p>That action satisfied the blunette as he snuggled his face against the butler's chest snd fell asleep.</p><p>Sebastian stared at the sleeping boy, wondering why he had sought out his comfort.</p><p>Naturally, his thoughts began to wonder how he could use this weakness against his master to make his soul taste even better...but that train of thought quickly halted.</p><p>Astre was so small, not just age-wise or size-wise but also his darkness.</p><p>Barely two months into their contract and the boy assumed himself the epitome of sin and evil.</p><p>His young master didn't even know he knew his birth name, that he wasn't actually Ciel Phantomhive.</p><p>Though, the only reason he knew that was thanks to the dead twin's soul.</p><p>By consuming that soul all the information the boy knew was his, all of his thoughts and feelings were now his own.</p><p>Even the actual Ciel's obsession with the younger twin had become his.</p><p>So, that little part of his brain that homed that soul’s feelings and memories were screaming at him to comfort the boy in his arms.</p><p>For as old as Sebastian was, he had no idea how to do that.</p><p>The Seven Deadly Sins were what came to demons naturally, everything else had to be learned.</p><p>And Sebastian was no exception: he could seduce nearly any human he came across with ease into giving him whatever he wanted but he had never been in a situation where he had to care for someone before.</p><p>He searched his memories for any examples to follow: through all the trivial wars, murders and other atrocities that stained his life.</p><p>He found nothing; every single one of his previous masters had simply wanted him to boring bloody things for them.</p><p>This was his first contract where was more than just a murder machine and bodyguard.</p><p>Yes, he still played those roles but not just that exclusively; now he was caretaker, teacher, butler and so much more.</p><p>Sebastian found that so exciting to finally find something different with a master he could hardly ever predict.</p><p>He then focused on the boy he held, the sleeping master gently snoring.</p><p>Knowing it was unlikely Astre would wake again until the sun rose —due to his experience with previous nightmares—, the demon knew it was safe for him to press a kiss to the boy’s forehead.</p><p>“Goodnight, my lord.”</p><p>***</p><p>Ciel scowled as he emerged from the demon’s memory, that wasn’t the one he wanted to see!</p><p>He didn’t want to see the damn bastard playing copycat to the role he had always played to Astre: being the comforter after bad dreams.</p><p>He cut at the undead man’s chest again, this time seeing the memory he wanted.</p><p>In this memory, he watched from the demon’s perspective as he undressed Astre layer by layer like a gift.</p><p>For as strong as his little brother liked to appear in front of others, he was completely submissive in the bedroom.</p><p>Ciel watched as ‘he’ —or rather Sebastian— ordered Astre to suck on his own fingers.</p><p>With little hesitation, Astre obeyed, taking a finger into his tiny mouth.</p><p>‘He’ chuckled at the sight, “My darling boy, you’re going to need more than one to fit me.”</p><p>Ciel as Sebastian watched as Astre took two more fingers into his mouth.</p><p>In the real world, Ciel’s hands found their way into his shorts...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Heir and the Spare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>A few boring days passed at Phantomhive Manor and one afternoon Astre was walking around trying to clear his head.</p><p>He was very angry with himself as he was no closer to helping Sebastian nor himself out of their situation.</p><p>By chance, he opened a door in Sebastian’s bedroom in the servant’s quarters.</p><p>There, laying on the floor by the bed was the coffin Sebastian had been buried in when they had faked his death during the murders.</p><p>Astre’s heart began to pound as he opened the lid.</p><p>There Sebastian was, looking peaceful as he ‘slept’, only the ruin of his body giving it away.</p><p>Taking the thin blanket off the bed, Astre covered him up to his nose so he didn’t have to see it.</p><p>Now he just saw his nose and closed eyes, as if Sebastian truly was sleeping.</p><p>The blunette then walked over to the wardrobe and opened it, pulling out one of Sebastian’s tailcoats.</p><p>This one only faintly smelled of the Sebastian he remembered but it was enough for now.</p><p>Laying in the bed, Astre covered himself with the tailcoat and grabbed Sebastian’s hand, lacing their fingers together.</p><p>The teen planned to only lay there for a few minutes —just to indulge himself in being near his lover— but he ended up falling asleep.</p><p>***</p><p>When the time for dinner approached, Ciel sat at the head of the dining table like he always did.</p><p>Lizzy and Undertaker sat at the table as well and the servants stood against the wall.</p><p>The undead Earl refused to allow the meal to start without his brother, not caring if the food got cold.</p><p>When a half hour passed, said boy began to get angry and demanded Undertaker find his brother.</p><p>Everyone got up from the table and began to look for the missing teen.</p><p>Undertaker suspected the boy might have slipped out while no one had paid him any attention, but the guards outside told him that no one had been outdoors.</p><p>Ciel had a gut feeling and went to the servant’s quarters.</p><p>There, he saw the open door and was greeted with the sight he had hoped not to see.</p><p>Laying on the bed asleep while wearing a green dress, was Astre, covered halfheartedly with a tailcoat.</p><p>His fingers were laced with that damned butler’s.</p><p>Upset, Ciel shook Astre awake, “Get up!”</p><p>The younger twin’s mismatched eyes fluttered open, “Ciel?”</p><p>“What are you doing in here?!” The older demanded to know</p><p>“Taking a nap.” Astre sighed, sitting up, carefully placing Sebastian’s hand down</p><p>“Why?!”</p><p>“Because I was sad, Ciel.”</p><p>“Then why didn’t you come to me?!”</p><p>“Because I prefer to do some things without you.”</p><p>“I’m your lover now! Not him!” Ciel whined like a toddler throwing a tantrum</p><p>“Yes, you are.” Astre conceded, “But just like a widow, part of my heart will always belong to him and you just have to accept that.”</p><p>The undead twin pouted and began stomping his feet, “That’s not fair!”</p><p>Astre’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother, “Not fair? You want to know what not fair, brother dear? Is watching your brother get murdered in front of you after spending a month being tortured, then being forced to harden your heart to survive and get revenge. Then trying to heal your shattered heart by following your dream and look for someone to help just to only watch that comforting person get murdered in front of you. Then to be forced to dress up like a girl while your dead lover’s half rotten corpse is dangled in front of you as an incentive to obey. And to top that off get everything you’ve built since losing your brother get stolen from you by said dead brother. That’s not fair but I’m not complaining like an infant, am I? I’m trying to make the best out of my situation and take it in stride.”</p><p>Ciel was rendered speechless, he had no idea what to say.</p><p>He had forgotten how much his baby brother had suffered these past few years.</p><p>Unlike himself where his scars littered his revived corpse, Astre carried his scars in his mind.</p><p>Astre was always so strong on the outside it was easy to forget the pain of his mind.</p><p>“You’ve gotten everything handed to you you’re entire life, Ciel. And that fact hasn’t changed even though you’re dead. Everything I had I built for myself and yet you tried to take that away from me.” Astre continued, “And I let you have it since it is technically your birthright. But during this whole ordeal I’ve asked for little —practically crumbs— in return and yet I’m apparently being the unreasonable one.”</p><p>The older twin remained silent as Astre was completely right.</p><p>After a few minutes of silence, Ciel cleared his throat, “Anyways, it’s time for dinner. It’s probably cold by now.”</p><p>“Go, I’ll be right behind you.” Astre replied, turning back to Sebastian</p><p>Ciel walked out of the room but remained by the door, watching his brother remove the blanket and replace it with the tailcoat.</p><p>Astre lumped the blanket back on the bed and kneeled on the floor to press a kiss to the dead butler’s forehead, whispering, “I’ll be back soon, I love you.”</p><p>He then closed the lid and stood back up, following Ciel to the dining room.</p><p>***</p><p>After eating their lukewarm dinner, the twins were in the master bathroom taking a bath together.</p><p>Astre had been silent during the meal and had remained silent even now.</p><p>"Earlier, this morning I think, Tanaka was telling me that there's a Japanese myth that lovers who commit suicide together are reincarnated as twins." Ciel told Astre, trying to lighten the mood</p><p>“That’s not very accurate, those who kill themselves are brought back as reapers as punishment.” Astre monotonely replied, still staring at the water</p><p>Ciel shrugged, “I know, but it’s an interesting thought.”</p><p>The older twin scooted closer to his brother, laying his head on his shoulder, “I’m sorry, Astre.”</p><p>“I haven’t been a very good big brother, have I?” Ciel quietly asked, “I’ve been more focused on being Earl and being back with you to even care about you and your needs.”</p><p>Astre nodded, running his fingers through his brother’s hair, “You have been a bit neglectful, yes.”</p><p>“I promise I’ll do better, Astre, I love you.” Ciel mumbled as he hid his face in his living brother’s neck</p><p>“How so?” Astre asked, curious</p><p>Ciel looked into his eyes, blue melding into lavender and blue, “We can go to London, if you want to.”</p><p>“I’d like that.” Astre smiled</p><p>“I’ll tell the servant’s to get ready then.” Ciel smiled, happy that he had finally made Astre happy, “And you don’t have to wear dresses if you don’t want to, but I’d like it if you did.”</p><p>“I’ll think about it, but I do want my clothes back.”</p><p>“Okay, then we can share the closet!” Ciel beamed</p><p>“Deal.”...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Hideaway</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>The four hour long carriage ride to London was as strange as it was awkward.</p><p>Astre sat beside his brother while Lizzy and Undertaker sat across from them.</p><p>During the entire duration of the trip, the younger twin could feel the reaper's gaze on him.</p><p>The blunette outwardly remained unbothered by that by remaining in silence or polite conversation with his brother and cousin.</p><p>Like now, he was surly silently and gazing out the window whilst Lizzy and Ciel talked about tribal things.</p><p>Astre saw the servant's carriage behind theirs, the coffin hitched on top holding Sebastian.</p><p>He knew he needed to come up with a plan now if he wanted to save Sebastian, London was his only hope.</p><p>***</p><p>Last night after Ciel had told him of his plan to take them to London, Astre laid awake.</p><p>He waited for his brother to fall asleep before slipping out of bed and carefully tip-toed his way down the hall to his office.</p><p>Once there, using only a candle he had taken from their bedroom, Astre wrote a letter to Prince Soma telling him to take Agni and leave London for awhile.</p><p>He didn't go into detail in the letter, just saying it wasn't safe right now and he needed to lay low.</p><p>Astre then folded the letter and put it in a envelope and used the candle to melt some wax to seal the letter.</p><p>Using the signet ring —that he had taken from Ciel's bedside table— he marked it with the Phantomhuve crest.</p><p>Now was the hard part.</p><p>The teen quietly made his way downstairs to the servant's quarters and went to Mey-Ron's bedroom.</p><p>He carefully opened the door, ignoring the proper thing to do which would be knocking.</p><p>Astre carefully went over to her bedside and shook her slightly to wake her.</p><p>"Y-Young Master?" She asked, rubbing her eyes as she reached for her glasses</p><p>"Yes, I need toy to send this letter to the townhouse as quickly and discreetly as you can." Astre whispered, holding the letter out to her</p><p>She took it and promised she would do it.</p><p>***</p><p>When the trip concluded and they arrived at the townhouse, Astre was thankful to find it uninhabited.</p><p>He was so glad that Soma and Agni had received his letter in time, he had been so worried Ciel might do something drastic like kill them during one of his mood-swings.</p><p>Agni had done exactly as Astre had asked and made the townhouse appear like he and Soma had never been in residence at all.</p><p>Astre barely noticed as Ciel dragged him up the stairs to the master bedroom and kissed him.</p><p>Automatically, the living twin responded to the undead one's kiss.</p><p>"I got a letter from the Queen today." Ciel informed once they parted, "There's some murders targeting preachers going on and Scotland Yard can't seem to solve it. Do you want to come with me and Undertaker?"</p><p>"I don't feel well right now, I think the trip wore me out." Astre lied, "I want to rest today but I'll definitely help tomorrow if you don't solve it. Watch out for Lord Randall, he absolutely hates me and our family so he won't be pleasant to work with."</p><p>"Thanks for the warning." Ciel smiled, kissing Astre's cheek before putting on an eyepatch and leaving with Undertaker</p><p>***</p><p>Now alone, Astre made his way downstairs passed Lizzy's room and towards the servant's quarters where Sebastian's coffin was being kept.</p><p>Astre had absolutely no plan but he knew he needed to do somthing now.</p><p>So, he opened the lid to the coffin and was so happy to see that Sebastian was slightly moving.</p><p>Astre took a deep breath, "Sebastian, stand up."</p><p>The undead butler didn't move.</p><p>Biting his lip, Astre tried again, "Sebastian, this is an order, stand up."</p><p>The teen nearly sobbed with relief as the order was followed; their contract was still firm.</p><p>Astre helped Sebastian out of the coffin and began to drag him towards the door.</p><p>There he came across all of his servants.</p><p>He knew Finny, Snake, Mey-Rin and Bard would follow him, but he didn't know where Tanaka's loyalties lied.</p><p>"I can't stay here anymore and I know all Hell will break loose when I'm found gone. Come with us." Astre whispered, knowing Lizzy could be anywhere</p><p>"Of course." The thee email servants agreed</p><p>"We will come, Smile, said Oscar." Snake added</p><p>Astre then looked to the elderly butler, "Will you."</p><p>"I would, but I will be needed here to pick up the pieces of your departure." Tanaka denied, "Render me unconscious, I will tell them I was overpowered and that I have no idea where you went."</p><p>"Thank you." Astre thanked as Mey-Rin hit Tanaka with the butt of a gun</p><p>***</p><p>Together, the five living and one dead people made their way out of the townhouse and into London proper.</p><p>Astre had no idea where to go, so he needed to make a pit stop somewhere to hide his servants and figure out a plan.</p><p>So he went to the one ally he had that could help: Lau.</p><p>The six of them entered the Opium den the criminal operated out of and Astre was immediately brought to Lau.</p><p>"My dearest lord, what brings you to me today?" Lau asked</p><p>"I need a favor." Astre simply replied, "I need you to grant me and my servants a safe haven for a few days."</p><p>"And what will I be getting in return for this favor?"</p><p>"I will turn a blind eye to the little operation you've been trying to hide under your usual business. Yes I found out about that."</p><p>The Chinese man opened his eyes, "I was wondering when you'd find out about that little thing. I suppose that's fair, isn't it Ran-Mao?"</p><p>The woman sitting on his lap looked up and nodded once, "Fair."</p><p>Astre kept his face neutral, internally sighing with relief as some of the opium girls escorted them to the guest quarters...</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. What is Mine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Ciel was practically skipping as he and Undertaker walked back into the townhouse.</p><p>He was so happy to have solved the case practically by himself, finally able to call himself her Majesty's Watchdog.</p><p>The undead boy ran up the stairs towards the master bedroom, excited to be able to tell Astre all about it.</p><p>Opening the door, he found the room empty.</p><p>The blunette pouted but continue walking around the manor, going to all of his brother's favorite places to look for him.</p><p>Astre was nowhere to be found.</p><p>Frustrated at his lack of success, he stomped down to the servant's quarters to see if Astre was cuddling up to that damn demon again.</p><p>There he found Tanaka unconscious on the floor.</p><p>He kicked at the elderly butler, demanding he wake up.</p><p>"My Lord?" Tanaka groaned as he sat up</p><p>"Where's Astre?!" Ciel demanded to know</p><p>"I do not know, my lord, the other servants overpowered me when I caught him fleeing." The Japanese man answered</p><p>Ciel's frustration turned into fury, "UNDERTAKER!"</p><p>Within seconds, the white haired reaper arrived, "What's wrong, young Earl?"</p><p>"ASTRE IS GONE! GET MY BROTHER BACK NOW!" Ciel screamed</p><p>"You must calm down, your body will reject your blood if you continue at this rate." Undertaker warned</p><p>"I DON'T BLOODY CARE! I WANT ASTRE!" Ciel replied, continuing to shout</p><p>Lizzy rushed into the hallways, having heard shouting, "Ciel? What happened? What's wrong?"</p><p>She tried to comfort him with a hug put he pushed her away, "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WATCH HIM!"</p><p>"I didn't know, I swear, I thought he was in his room." Lizzy weakly said, trying to calm him</p><p>Ciel shoved her to the ground, beginning to beat her, "YOU GORMLESS BITCH! YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO STOP HIM FROM LEAVING ME!"</p><p>The blonde girl began screaming and crying in pain, begging him for forgiveness.</p><p>No one tried to stop the undead Earl from beating his fiancée black and blue.</p><p>Just as Undertaker predicted, Ciel's tantrum made his body reject his blood and make his veins bulge and turn black.</p><p>Ciel fell to the ground on top of Lizzy, needing new blood desperately.</p><p>Lizzy carried Ciel to his bedroom and tucked him in, sitting by his side as Undertaker removed the pus and replaced it with blood.</p><p>Even all bruised up, Lizzy didn't blame Ciel, it was her fault for not doing as he asked.</p><p>Undertaker called on of his servants, Polaris, in from their posts, telling them to hunt down the rouge twin and bring him back.</p><p>***</p><p>Across London, Astre sat in a chair in the guest room in Lau's Opium Den.</p><p>He was staring at Sebastian who was laying on the bed.</p><p>Even though he had made the massive leap of running from Ciel, he still didn't have a plan to save Sebastian.</p><p>Astre was also aware that it probably would not take long for Undertaker to realize he had hidden with Lau so he knew this place wouldn't be safe for long.</p><p>The blunette put his head in his hands, "What am I supposed to do? If he catches me I'll never be able to run again."</p><p>Astre was absolutely certain Ciel would do something drastic like chain him up or keep him in a cage if he caught him again.</p><p>He was then reminded of their month in captivity at the thought of a cage, Ciel would not stoop that low.</p><p>Or maybe he would in his obsession to keep him.</p><p>Astre gulped, he would kill himself before spending even a minute in another cage.</p><p>"But then Undertaker would just bring you back." A thought whispered in his head, "Then you would truly be a doll just like Ciel wants you to act like."</p><p>His mismatched eyes widened and he began to hyperventilate, he could not allow himself to get caught.</p><p>"Astre." A voice said, ripping the teen from his thoughts</p><p>The blunette looked around, seeing no one in the room...no one besides Sebastian.</p><p>"Astre." The voice related, their voice weak</p><p>"Sebastian?" Astre asked, walking towards the bed, "Is this real?"</p><p>"Yes, it's taking all of my strength to do this and I'm running out of energy rapidly so listen close." Sebastian whispered, "There is a bar by the docks called 'The Gates of Hell', it's owned and operated and catered to demons. Go inside and make sure everyone sees the mark of our contract, they won't touch you then if they see you are claimed. Look for a demon called 'Spider' and bring him here; he can help me. Do not talk to anyone else, do not bring anyone else. Remember how I acted when. We met, they are all like that; trust no one except Spider."</p><p>"I will bring him, I promise, don't leave." Astre frantically said, holding his hand</p><p>"I love you, amica mea, never forget that. I'll see you soon." Sebastian smiled, his eyes glazing back over as he lost all his energy</p><p>Astre kissed his cheek, “I will bring him here, I swear.”</p><p>He then stood up and began to walk out the door of his room.</p><p>***</p><p>Ciel woke up in bed, feeling Lizzy stroking his hair.</p><p>He did not push her away this time, instead he looked across the way where Undertaker was beginning to take away the blood transfusion machine.</p><p>“Where is Astre?” Ciel weakly asked</p><p>Undertaker looked at him, “Not yet, Polaris is hunting him down as we speak.”</p><p>Ciel frowned, “You made sure to tell him Astre is not to be harmed right? That bloodthirsty bastard is known for going overboard.”</p><p>“He will not harm what is yours.” Undertaker assured, “I will make sure of it.”</p><p>The blunette nodded and turned back to Lizzy, setting his head on her lap...</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Gates of Hell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>The trip down to the docks was a terrifying one for the teen.</p><p>The docks were one of the many areas of London dangerous to be in alone which is why he had brought Finny as a bodyguard.</p><p>Astre didn't know why, but he expected a bar for demons to be grandiose and obvious to see, but he nearly walked right past it.</p><p>That was, until he saw the door knocker that was shaped like a pitchfork.</p><p>He then saw the sign that said the name of the bar, "The Gates of Hell".</p><p>The building was seemingly tiny and cramped, a little dive-in bar that could fit very few people inside.</p><p>Astre mentally shrugged, demons hid in plain sight so he should have expected one of their bars to function the same way.</p><p>Telling Finny to wait here, Astre opened the door and went inside alone.</p><p>Astre immediately noticed the bar was far bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, it was nearly the size of the manor's ballroom.</p><p>Additionally, Astre noticed the decor of the packed bar, how gothic it was with its grey stone archways and gargoyles.</p><p>Not letting himself get distracted, the teen walked up to the bartender.</p><p>Said demon was wiping a glass with a rag, his black nails sticking out on his pale skin.</p><p>Like all demons, the bartender was extremely handsome; his dirty blond hair looked silky and deep black eyes were naturally seductive.</p><p>"How can I help you, young man, you're a bit too young to be a patron here? Looking for your parents perhaps?" The bartender asked, playing human</p><p>It wanting to deal with this nonsense, Astre removed his eyepatch and revealed his contract mark, "I'm looking for a demon called 'Spider'."</p><p>The bartender smirked and pointed to the farthest corner of the bar, "He's back there."</p><p>Astre thanked the demon and walked over, passing several booths with demons sitting in them.</p><p>As he walked by, he could hear the demons sniffing, knowing they were smelling his soul.</p><p>According to Sebastian, the smell was intoxicating and addictive, so he was glad to display the mark of their contract to keep them away.</p><p>Finally, he made it to the booth farthest away from the bar, seeing two people sitting in it.</p><p>The first was a man with black hair and golden eyes wearing a suit typical to the ones most noblemen wear.</p><p>The other was a shorter, more feminine male with blond hair and pale blue eyes, dressed similarly to Astre.</p><p>Astre greeted them, "Hello, are you Spider?"</p><p>"I am." The taller ones confined, "Why are you looking for me?"</p><p>"Raven sent me." Astre said, using the name Sebastian had told him was his demon one, "He needs your help."</p><p>"What has he gotten himself into?" Spider asked</p><p>"He's dying." Astre confessed</p><p>Spider immediately stood up, "Twke me to him."</p><p>***</p><p>It didn't take long to return to the Opium Den now that he had Claude —which was the name Spider had told Finny when they left the bar— and Alois —which is what he introduced himself as— with him.</p><p>Astre led them into his room and by extension Sebastian.</p><p>Claude stood still as he walked into the room, staring at the half-rotten demon in the room, "Oh, brother, what did they do to you?"</p><p>Naturally, Sebastian didn't reply.</p><p>The golden eyed demon pulled a small pocketknife out of his breast pocket and carefully cut all the stitches open.</p><p>Alois and Astre just watched as Claude frowned, "You moron, you and your obsession of damn near starving to death between meals damn near let him kill you."</p><p>"What?" Astre asked, confused</p><p>Claude began to work on his brother's body, stripping him out of his ragged clothes, "My brother forms contracts and contracts exclusively unlike the rest of us that form deals in between to make up the slack. Contracts always take ages so forming deals can keep you fed while you wait. Because of that, contract souls always taste better than the ones of deal souls or summoning souls."</p><p>"Summoning souls?" Astre questioned, mentally kicking himself for interrupting</p><p>"The souls we get for even showing up to a potential contractor. To summon a demon for a contract there has to be a sacrifice." Claude explained, "And it seems it's been a decade since he found you, hasn't it?"</p><p>Astre shook his head, "It's been five years."</p><p>Claude's eyes widened slightly, "Then were the hell is the summoning soul if he's not digesting it?"</p><p>"Did Undertaker take it when he did this to him?" Astre asked, offering a potential explanation</p><p>Claude denied it, "No, reapers can not even see a soul the moment it goes between our lips. My brother seems to have done something with it."</p><p>After a few moments the spider demon spoke again, "What the Hell is it doing in his head? Why is he storing it when he's starving."</p><p>Claude put his fingers into the gash in Sebastian's head, trying to pull out the soul and put it back in his brother's belly.</p><p>Pulling his fingers out, Claude growled, "Stop fighting it, flan it! You are wasting your energy protecting it instead of gaining energy eating it!"</p><p>"He won't let you move it?" Alois asked, "Why?"</p><p>Astre's eyes widened as he remembered a promise Sebastian had made him after making love for the first time.</p><p>He had said, "After I fulfill our contract, I'll turn you into a demon so we can be together forever. And, I already have your bonding present."</p><p>Astre remembered asking what the present was but Sebastian had refused to answer since that would ruin the surprise.</p><p>But now he knew: it was his brother's soul.</p><p>"He's never going to let you let him eat it." Astre said, "He was going to give it to me. Is there any other soul you can give him?"</p><p>Claude sighed, hitting himself in the stomach and spitting a small ruby into his palm.</p><p>He then put that ruby in between Sebastian's lips and made him swallow it, "I gave him my meal and he better be grateful when I get him back into shape."</p><p>Claude then began to repair the dying, rotting demon...</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Calm Before the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Hours passed but thanks to naturally fast demonic healing and Claude's magical encouragements, the decomposition of Sebastian's body was reversed.</p><p>He once again looked just as he always had: all the stitches closed up, his eyes regained their crimson color, his lips lost the blue of decay, his bones repaired and the grey left his skin.</p><p>While Claude repaired his body, the soul Claude had fed Sebastian was helping him regain energy.</p><p>Astre felt a giant weight come off his shoulder as Claude told him Sebastian would be back to normal within a two days.</p><p>Unfortunately, his relief did not last long: he did not have two days to wait here.</p><p>Every moment he spent here was another moment Ciel had to track him down.</p><p>"Is there any way to speed that time up?" Astre asked Claude</p><p>The spider demon shook his head, "My brother had a close call with death, he needs a bit of time to recover."</p><p>Sighing, Astre made a choice: he needed to return to Ciel in order to buy Sebastian time.</p><p>He knew Sebastian and the others would be safe if he gave himself up.</p><p>"Astre." A voice he recognized as Sebastian's weakly said</p><p>The teen immediately turned to his demon, "I am here, Sebastian."</p><p>"D-Do not do what I sense you are planning."</p><p>"I can't let Undertaker find you."</p><p>"I will fight him." Sebastian replied</p><p>"You were at full strength when he did this to you!"</p><p>"We are evenly matched. He only won because your life was at risk; he knew I would stop my attack to rescue you." Sebastian groaned, trying to sit up, "You will not be present this time."</p><p>"You are in no state to fight." Claude interjected, "You are no help to him until you are recovered."</p><p>Astre kissed Sebastian's forehead, "I have to go back, you can come rescue me when you are fully recovered."</p><p>"Undertaker is insane he will hurt you." Sebastian pointed out</p><p>"Ciel will not let him hurt me too much, besides whatever he throws at me I have had worse." Astre replied, remembering his month in captivity</p><p>The blunette then continued, "And once you are recovered, you can fight Undertaker again, Claude and Alois will give you the edge you need to win. I am sure three demons can take on one reaper."</p><p>Alois pulled a small vial out of his pocket and handed it to Astre, "I think this should soothe Raven's worries. This is demon hound venom, it is a narcotic for demons but it is poisonous for everyone else, even reapers. Best part is it does not even have to be consumed, just touching it is enough to kill if they do not deal with it fast enough and it issuper corrosive."</p><p>Astre hid the metal vial in his shoes, against his toes.</p><p>He then thanked Claude and Alois for their help and kissed Sebastian's lips, ordering him to rest and not rescue him until he was recovered.</p><p>***</p><p>Leaving the Opium Den alone, Astre Phantomhive went across town to the shopping district, paying a hansom cab a shilling to take him there.</p><p>Once he arrived, he went to the Funtom Shoppe.</p><p>He passed the giant section of toys, the section of rainwear and the ever growing section of cosmetics, to get to the giant aisle of candy.</p><p>As diverse as the confections were, they could essentially be boiled down to four flavors: milk, chocolate, caramel and strawberry.</p><p>Yes, there were a few odd ones out like a few flavored like mint or lemon or honey or etcetera, but those four were the main flavors.</p><p>With two small baskets in hand, he began to load them up with candy.</p><p>The one for Ciel got strawberry flavored candies mostly and a few caramels.</p><p>The basket for himself got mostly chocolates and a few milk flavored ones.</p><p>His purpose for being at the store was simple: he needed a peace offering before returning to Ciel.</p><p>The older blunette had always been prone to mood swings and anger was an easy repossessed to get from him, so Astre needed a way to calm him.</p><p>And he could not think of a better way then to return of his own volition with gifts.</p><p>He saw no need to grab any of the toys since they already had one of everything at the manor, so Astre just went to the general manager's office in the back.</p><p>Once said general manager recognized him as the owner, he was escorted to the door since he did not want to go through the trouble of paying for everything.</p><p>Armed with the two gift baskets, he began the walk to the townhouse.</p><p>***</p><p>As he neared the town house, Astre was pushed against the wall.</p><p>His cloaked attacker began to drag him in the direction of the townhouse.</p><p>“What are you doing?!” Astre shouted, trying to get out of his arms</p><p>“You will be returning to your brother.” The attacked replied</p><p>Astre’s eyes widened as he remembered that voice from a year before: it was Baron Kelvin.</p><p>He looked at his attacker’s face: no longer was the Baron large and covered in bandages, he was now slim and muscular.</p><p>His brown hair had returned, though it might be a wig, but his hazel eyes were still filled with insanity.</p><p>“Kelvin?” Astre asked, not believing his eye: he and Sebastian had killed him</p><p>Then seeing the row of stitches along the Baron’s forehead, Astre then realized that the man had been brought back as a bizarre doll.</p><p>“Oh, how wonderful, I was worried you would not remember me, Astre Phantomhive.” The Baron began, “It was so very wonderful to die by your hands, and now Undertaker kindly brought me back to die by the true Ciel Phantomhive’s hands. It is like a dream to be able to be killed by you both over and over again.”</p><p>Astre just blinked at the insanity of this man.</p><p>Kelvin did not notice as he continued the walk to the townhouse, “After you killed me, I woke up in Undertaker’s shop with you, but it was not you you but rather your brother. He told me that he remembered me from when I met you both on that wonderful night with your father and that he desired me! Well, as one of his servants but desired me nevertheless! He rechristened me ‘Polaris’ and I have been his faithful slave ever since!”</p><p>By the time the madman finished his spiel, they reached the entrance of the townhouse.</p><p>Astre mentally sighed: this is where the hard part would begin...</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Punishment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre yelped in pain as he was tossed on the floor of his office.</p><p>Looking up, the living blunette saw his brother sitting at the desk and Undertaker leaning against the wall by the window.</p><p>Just as Astre had expected, Ciel looked beyond pissed: his hair was frazzled, his clothes rumpled and the whites of his eyes were reddened.</p><p>"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Ciel asked</p><p>Astre stood up and dusted off his clothes, "I will explain everything truthfully once you calm down, it is impossible to have a discussion like this."</p><p>Ciel visibly twitched with rage but took a deep breath, "I am...calm."</p><p>"It's a very simple reason as to why I left: my servants were in an abusive situation." Astre semi-lied, it was true what he was saying but that was not the true reason he left, "It was not fair for them to be in mental pain here so I escorted them to a place more beneficial to their health."</p><p>"Then why didn't you tell anyone where you were going?" Ciel asked, much calmer</p><p>"It did not seem prudent to tell anyone since this is the abusive situation and besides, I figured I would be back before nightfall so I thought I would beat you back here as if I had never left. It was always my intention to return." Astre answered, "But, I would like to bring something to your attention."</p><p>Ciel's eyebrow rose, "What?"</p><p>Astre pointed to Kelvin who was standing behind him, "This brutish man has treated me so terribly. In the last few minutes alone he has slammed me against the wall and tossed me around like garbage."</p><p>Astre then forced himself to tremble, "It reminded me so much of those men from that month."</p><p>It hadn't, but he needed to redirect Ciel's anger elsewhere so a bit of emotional blackmail never hurt.</p><p>Astre faked regaining his composure, "Especially since when he found me I was nearly returned; I was coming back to you of my own will when he hurt me just because he wanted the credit."</p><p>Ciel scowled, looking at Kelvin, "Is this true, Polaris?"</p><p>The insane man stuttered, "W-Well he-he was out-outside, b-b-but-"</p><p>"So he was outside?!" Ciel interrupted, standing up</p><p>"And I brought home an apology present just for you, Ciel, but he neglected to bring that inside with me." Astre added, "I bet he wanted to frame it like he forced me home to gain your favor."</p><p>That stroked the flames of Ciel's rage more, he slapped Kelvin a few times.</p><p>The undead Earl then demanded that 'Polaris' to go get the present his brother brought him.</p><p>Within a few minutes, the undead man returning carrying the two gift baskets full of sweets.</p><p>Ciel's sapphire eyes widened in delight at the sight of the strawberry and caramel flavored confections.</p><p>Astre was so glad he had thought ahead to do this, the gift was the safety cushion of his return.</p><p>The undead teen immediately found himself going through his basket, then remembering what he was doing.</p><p>"Oh, yes." Ciel muttered as he paused, looking up at Kelvin, "Polaris, I am very cross with you; I specifically told you my little brother was not to be harmed and you went and got him all bruised up anyways! From now on you cannot be in view of me nor Astre and you cannot go into public without my permission!"</p><p>Kelvin just nodded, apologizing.</p><p>"And I will not beat you up ever again either!" Ciel added</p><p>The insane man's eyes widened and he dropped to his knees, begging for anything but that.</p><p>Astre just blinked a few times, thinking, "Wow."</p><p>Ciel then sent Kelvin away and turned to his younger twin, "I forgive you, but you are not off the hook for running away."</p><p>"I would not expect to be." Astre replied, "I will accept any punishment for my indiscretion, I know you know best, Ciel."</p><p>The elder twin smiled at that, his ego properly engorged.</p><p>Ciel motioned for Undertaker to leave and waited for the repair to walk out before speaking.</p><p>"Because you apologized properly and you brought such a nice present, I want you to..." Ciel began, leaning against Astre's ear and whispering what he wanted</p><p>***</p><p>Around ten minutes later, Astre got off of his knees, wiping his chin and mouth with a handkerchief his brother gave him.</p><p>He forced himself to swallow the watery jelly-like substance in his mouth.</p><p>It was strange, Sebastian had performed this oral act —he believed the demon had called it a 'blowjob'— on him before but he had never done the act himself.</p><p>Astre looked at his reflection in the mirror, wiping last of the drying seed off his face.</p><p>“Let’s go, Astre.” Ciel called out, standing by the door, “I want to go eat dinner.”</p><p>“Coming.” Astre replied, tossing the handkerchief away along with his dignity</p><p>The living blunette did not know what was worst to him: that he had agreed to perform the sex act or that he had liked it.</p><p>***</p><p>Dinner was a boring affair like it always was.</p><p>The only interesting thing was Lizzy and the fact she was covered in bruises.</p><p>She was trying to hide them under her high-collared purple gown and long sleeves, but an observant eye would notice the black and blue bruises peeking from her neck and onto her face.</p><p>Like many a beaten housewife, she trembled a bit as Ciel sat down beside her which clued Astre in on what had happened to her for his escape.</p><p>Perhaps a month ago he would have felt bad to see her like this, but now that she had revealed her true personality he felt joy at the sight.</p><p>Lizzy had it coming, he was only upset to have missed the sight.</p><p>Maybe he could get Ciel to do it again?</p><p>That was a problem for tomorrow, he still had to wait until tomorrow night for Sebastian to arrive...</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Cutting Strings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>The next night, Astre sat at the dinner table beside Ciel —who was sitting at the head of the table like always.</p><p>Astre was wearing frilly blue dress that matched the outfit Ciel wore.</p><p>Tonight, he had worn this dress to make his brother think he was submitting again, but in reality he was hiding the vial Alois gave him in his bloomers.</p><p>Dinner was a dreadfully boring affair like always until they heard a door slam open.</p><p>His right eye began to sting, signaling to him Sebastian was telling him he had arrived.</p><p>Knowing the fight would be beginning soon, Astre pulled the vial out and removed the cap.</p><p>He waited until Undertaker was walking away from the table to find out what had happened before lunging up and throwing the contents of the vial at him.</p><p>Any upper hand he could give Sebastian he would.</p><p>Undertaker didn't see the demon hound venom before it was too late...but Kelvin did.</p><p>The undead Baron lunched in front of the venom and got covered in it.</p><p>The corrosive material ate through his clothes and skin in moments, killing him for a second time before he could even shout in pain.</p><p>Cursing, Astre ran out of the room towards the source of the slam: the entrance hall.</p><p>As the younger twin left the room, Lizzy grabbed Ciel and took him somewhere they could hide.</p><p>***</p><p>Astre ran right into the entrance hall and directly into Sebastian's waiting arms.</p><p>"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked, lifting him into his arms while Alois and Claude fought the guards</p><p>"Yes." Astre confirmed, clinging to him as if Sebastian would disappear at any moment</p><p>The red eyed demon then produced a small vial from his tailcoat's breast-pocket, it was small and full of what looked like tar, "Drink this."</p><p>"What is it?" Astre asked, taking it from him</p><p>"It will turn you into a demon, I know I told you we would wait for this until our contract was completed but I cannot allow Undertaker to use your human weakness against me again." Sebastian explained, not looking for him as his eyes scanned the room for said reaper</p><p>Nodding, Astre took the vial and drank it in one go, nearly gagging on the taste but doing it all the same.</p><p>Immediately, the blunette felt power rush through his small, frail body.</p><p>His nails darkened until they finally turned black, his canine teeth grew into slight fangs, and his mismatched eyes flashed red and then magenta before going back to its normal lavender and sapphire color.</p><p>Astre could no longer feel his heartbeat and did not even need to breathe; it felt like being freed from a curse —the curse that was mortality.</p><p>After a few moments of letting the change settle, Astre spoke again, "You three go after Undertaker, Lizzy and Ciel are mine."</p><p>Once placed on the ground, Astre instinctively changed his outfit from being a dress and into a grey outfit similar to the one Ciel wore.</p><p>***</p><p>Meanwhile, Elizabeth left the hiding place she and Ciel were in on the second floor to go upstairs to retrieve her sabres so she could defend her fiancé if the need arose.</p><p>Unfortunately, she came across Astre while on the stairs.</p><p>"Come here, Elizabeth!" The blunette exclaimed, walking up the stairs faster than she had ever seen him before</p><p>Eager to escape him, Lizzy ran down the hallway of the top floor of the townhouse, not stoping until she reached the end of the hall.</p><p>Astre was still behind her, effortlessly keeping up with her, leisurely skipping as if he was simply walking through a park and not following her while holding a gun she knew he could use well.</p><p>Turning back to where she was going, the blonde cursed as she realized she had backed herself into a corner —or more accurately against a window— during her running.</p><p>"I've always found you to be an annoying brat, cousin dearest," Astre said to her as he walked closer, spinning the gun in his hand by its trigger guard like it was a toy and not a lethal weapon, "But recently you have been an absolute bitch. You were so sweet and loving when you thought I was Ciel but you have shown your true nature and how fake you always are. So, I do not feel about about this."</p><p>Elizabeth gulped, not knowing what to do, thinking, "About what?"</p><p>Astre didn't give her a chance to ask her question aloud, using his new demon strength to push her out the third story window.</p><p>The glass shattered on impact, the tiny shards imbedding themselves into the blonde girl's skin, her gown and her beloved curly pigtails.</p><p>Time seemed to travel in slow motion as she fell, the glass shards falling with her glimmering like diamonds in the moonlight all around her.</p><p>What felt like hours of falling to her was barely two seconds.</p><p>When her body made impact with the ground, a horrible crack was easily heard.</p><p>Lizzy desperately tried to get up, tried to move at all, but her body simply would not obey.</p><p>Her emerald green eyes widened as she realized what had happened: she had broken her spine.</p><p>Elizabeth sobbed as she felt blood forming a pool below her, straining her brand new pink gown red.</p><p>After a few minutes and no one came to rescue her, the blood loss began to catch up to her and her world went black.</p><p>Quite possibly for the last time...</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. The Final Puppet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>With Elizabeth 'taken care of', Astre began his search for his brother.</p><p>He knew Lizzy had come from the second floor, so he got on the stairs to make his way down a floor.</p><p>Entering the fencing room, he saw his brother facing the mirror.</p><p>As Astre walked closer, he saw red tinted Tess streaming down Ciel's face.</p><p>"I thought you loved me." Ciel spoke, breaking the silence</p><p>"I do, Ciel, I swear it but we need to leave now while the others have Undertaker distracted." Astre replied, looking back at the door</p><p>"Why?" Ciel asked, "I can not leave grandfather, I will die again without him."</p><p>"Grandfather?" Astre questioned, turning back to face his older twin</p><p>Ciel mumbled a bit, "No one told you? Undertaker was our grandmother's lover, we are a quarter reaper. He says that is why I am so 'independently operational', whatever that means."</p><p>"Come with me, we can find a way to help you so you do not have to depend on him anymore." Astre began, "We can help you."</p><p>"You can not help him." A voice interrupted, "He requires too much blood to be independent for me."</p><p>Astre turned around, seeing Undertaker.</p><p>"Besides the blood taken from me, where do you get his blood?" Astre asked, his Watch Dog senses tingling</p><p>"Donations, of course." Undertaker nonchalantly replied</p><p>Astre's eyes narrowed, "Knowing or unknowing?"</p><p>"Does it matter?" The reaper replied, getting agitated by Ciel's lack of obedience</p><p>Ciel gasped, staring at his veins in horror, "I told you I did not want stolen blood! You told me you found me a few donors! You lied to me!"</p><p>"What I have done I have done to keep you alive." Undertaker said, "We need to go now while the guards have the demons distracted."</p><p>"I am not going anywhere without Astre!" Ciel shouted, crossing his arms</p><p>Undertaker sighed, "Your obsession with your brother is getting annoying. We are leaving now!"</p><p>"No!" Ciel whined, stomping his feet like a defiant toddler</p><p>"Then you give me no choice." Undertaker angrily said, snapping his fingers</p><p>Ciel's body straightened up and his eyes glossed over, "What are you doing to me?!"</p><p>"You have proven you cannot be mature enough to control yourself so I will be controlling you for the meantime." The reaper replied</p><p>"Give me my body back!" Ciel shouted</p><p>"Shut up." Undertaker ordered, handing the undead teen a sword, "And go kill your brother, he will much better behaved as a bizarre doll."</p><p>Ciel's eye widened in fear and shock, clearly trying to twist the orders his body was performing.</p><p>Astre did not want to fight his brother either, so he only moved to defend himself when being attacked.</p><p>Ciel kicked Astre to the ground and the younger twin began crab-walking away with one hand while shielding himself with the other.</p><p>The door to the room slammed open to reveal Sebastian and Claude.</p><p>Undertaker pulled out his scythe and began to attack the black haired demons.</p><p>Much like he was able to defend himself from Sebastian, Grell and Ronald on the Campania, Undertaker was clearly holding his own against Sebastian and Claude as the three of them fought.</p><p>Meanwhile, Astre was trying to defend himself from Ciel's attacks while simultaneously trying to free Ciel from whatever spell it trance Undertaker had him under.</p><p>Undertaker pinned Sebastian against the wall, raising his scythe to deliver a killing blow, "This time I will take your eyes as well, butler, so you can not look upon my grandsons aga-"</p><p>He cut himself off from his sentence when he felt the scythe get pulled out of his hands.</p><p>Turning around he saw the other demon wielding his scythe and kick him down.</p><p>Trying to get up from the floor, the white haired reaper watched as the other demon handed Sebastian Undertaker's scythe.</p><p>"I think not." Sebastian replied as he walked up to Undertaker, slamming the sharp blade into the man's stomach</p><p>Undertaker was killed by the blow, but just to be sure Sebastian finished the job by cutting off his head.</p><p>As much as he would have preferred to draw this murder out and repay the reaper for what he had done to him these past two months, but Sebastian did not want to risk Undertaker having another card hidden up his sleeve.</p><p>Once Undertaker was definitely dead, Ciel was freed from the control he was put under and dropped the sword.</p><p>The twins began to hug and hold each other, both finally relieved that the fighting was over.</p><p>"What happens now?" Ciel asked, whispering to Astre</p><p>***</p><p>Once everyone cleaned up from being all bloody, the four demons and one bizarre doll sat in the drawing room since that was the only main area unaffected by the fighting.</p><p>Ciel repeated his question, "What happens now? I am a few days away from my next transfusion, I do not want to die again!"</p><p>"I have an idea." Alois replied, "We could turn him into a golem!"</p><p>"A golem?" Astre asked, "Aren't they made of clay?"</p><p>"In the Jewish folklore, yes, but what Alois is referring to is not quite a traditional golem." Claude clarified, "A few centuries ago demons were tinkering with ways to create servants out of humans. The process is usually done on living humans with a soul, I do not think it will work on a dead soulless human."</p><p>"We have his soul." Sebastian interjected</p><p>"What?" Ciel exclaimed, he had been certain Sebastian had eaten it</p><p>Sebastian pressed a hand to his mouth and pulled out what looked like a sapphire, "I have it here."</p><p>"That is what you were storing?" Claude asked</p><p>Sebastian handed Astre the sapphire that was actually a soul, "We can make a golem. The being alive part is optional it is the soul that is the requirement."</p><p>"Then we should do it." Astre said, turning to his brother, "You want this right?"</p><p>Ciel stared at the soul in his twin's hand.</p><p>"I want to stay." Ciel decided, "I want to be your friend again. If that means being a golem then I will do it."...</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. A New Toy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>While Sebastian and Claude got everything ready to turn Ciel into a golem, Alois helped prepare Ciel's body for the ritual.</p><p>While everyone else was busy, Astre brought Lizzy back into the townhouse and set her in her room.</p><p>He stood there until she woke up.</p><p>She began screaming when she saw him, yelling for Ciel or Undertaker to help her.</p><p>"They are not coming, dear Elizabeth." Astre smirked, "Seeing that they are dead, you are all alone."</p><p>The girl's emerald eyes widened, that could not be true.</p><p>"I am not lying." Astre softly added, "Would you like to see them? Undertaker's head came cleanly off his body earlier, I might just hang it up in my study."</p><p>"Y-You are sick!" She spat through her tears</p><p>"Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black. You and I both know you got off on tormenting me, which by my definition is rather sick as well." Astre chuckled, "At least I am open about it."</p><p>They sat in silence for a moment or two, the girl trying to force her paralyzed body to get up.</p><p>"You know, Lizzy, I've had awhile to think and it turns out you were right all along: you are an absolute gift." Astre smiled</p><p>Lizzy blinked: did that mean he was letting her go?</p><p>Her hope was killed when the happy expression on his face turned wicked, "After all, what a better gift to relish than a victim that can not perish."</p><p>Lizzy's emerald eyes widened in fear, her mouth opening to speak but still speechless.</p><p>"After all," Astre continued, "Ciel shared the secret of how Undertaker revived him and the other Bizarre Dolls. So I can torture you to death over and over again as long as I make sure you have plenty of blood for your transfusions —or meals, as Ciel liked to call them. I can keep you around as long as I wish. We will be together forever and ever, just like you always wanted with Ciel —and me when you thought I was him—, able to play for all eternity. Of course, when you thought that I assume you thought I was going to be the toy."</p><p>Fearfully, Lizzy tried to free herself from the chains.</p><p>"That fall you had from the window did not just kill you, Lizzy, it shattered your spine." Astre laughed, confirming to her that she already died, "So you are not going anywhere."</p><p>***</p><p>After dealing with Elizabeth and informing her of her new position in life —or rather unlife—, Astre walked to his office to get the final bit of work done.</p><p>While he was working, Tanaka come in and asked if he would like some tea or snacks.</p><p>“I am alright, though there is something I need of you.” Astre replied</p><p>Tanaka nodded, “Of course, young master, what do you require of me?”</p><p>“Sebastian, Ciel, the guests and myself will be leaving tomorrow morning, we will not be returning.” The young Earl informed him</p><p>"Tell the Midfords that Elizabeth and I were kidnapped during the night and there was no ransom letter." Astre continued, "Do not tell them what had happened since the disaster on the Campania; do not talk about the true Ciel's return, about my lie, about Sebastian's return, none of it. They will have hope we might return as I did last time but I will not. They will look through the Underworld's system looking for word of us and find nothing, let them think our kidnapper killed us."</p><p>The new demon took a deep breath and sighed, "Prince Soma and Agni will be allowed to keep the townhouse, but what the Midfords do with the manor I do not care. If they do not take you and the other servants into their employ, I am sure Prince Soma will. They are hiding at Lau’s Opium Den, go retrieve them but do not return until tomorrow afternoon."</p><p>"I will see it done, my lord." The elderly Japanese butler said, bowing</p><p>The blunette gave him a sad smile, "Thank you, Tanaka, for everything."</p><p>"Of course, sir." Tanaka replied, "I would say that I hope our paths cross again but I doubt that will happen."</p><p>"That would be correct." Astre added, "But I hope they will. Have a good life, Tanaka."</p><p>"To you as well." The Japanese man replied, leaving the townhouse for London proper to follow his orders</p><p>***</p><p>After Tanaka left, Astre stood up from his desk and looked down at the document he had just signed: he had just sold his company to a ‘Dominik Ghast’.</p><p>This Mister Ghast was just an alias for himself but still, he no longer owned his company, his pride and joy.</p><p>Now that he was a demon, it was simply time to leave this old life behind.</p><p>But, there was still one major issue remaining: what role Ciel would take in his new life...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This story has two endings, the one published next chronologically is the platonic twins with Sebastian and Astre being the only main relationship. The second ending is the twincest and Sebastian and Astre relationship.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Little(r) Brother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning: This is the platonic sibling ending</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre walked into the room where Ciel was waiting for the ritual to begin.</p><p>"You don't want me to have anything in my life that's not you. And you expected it to go back to being like that once you got Sebastian out of the way, didn't you? That I'd go back to being the weak little brother that needed you." Astre said as he walked in</p><p>Ciel didn't know what to say, caught off guard having no retort and not wanting to confirm the truth.</p><p>Astre laughed a bit, "Your silence is damning, Ciel, I suspect I'm completely right? You know I probably wouldn't have been against trying out a Ménage à Trois and perhaps elevating that to a polyamorous relationship if you had just been honest from the start. Instead of coming back and berating me and being cruel, you could have come bearing gifts but not in the mocking way you did. You could have brought Sebastian back to me and explained what had happened to you. And I would have welcomed you back with open arms."</p><p>The older twin then hung his head in shame, his sapphire eyes welling up with red tinted tears.</p><p>Astre sighed, "But, I am also aware of the lies Undertaker has fed you with Lizzy's help. Because of that, I am not as mad at you as I was. But I am still very angry, Ciel. You took my blood without my consent, you forced me to dress up like a doll and you used Sebastian's life to keep me in line. So, I am still punishing you, but after that punishment I will be giving you a choice."</p><p>Ciel looked up, nodding as he accepted it, quietly asking, "What choice?"</p><p>"I do love you, Ciel, you're my brother and nothing will ever change that. But I do not love you the way you love me, all I have for you is a sibling love." Astre confessed</p><p>The undead twin just stared, the reddish tears rolling down his cheeks, "Y-You were lying the whole time?"</p><p>Astre nodded, "Our conversations and time spent together were never lies, but the romantic gestures were. I am sorry, I truly am, but the love of a brother is all I can give you."</p><p>He continued, "So you have three choices: 1. You can become a golem and stay the age you are now. 2. You can become a golem and I can make you ten again and reverse what Undertaker did to your body, you can be a child again and play with me forever. Or 3. You can die properly this time, I will bury you in your grave by our parents and insure your soul gets sent to Heaven to be with them."</p><p>Ciel took a shuddered breath, the only reason he had allowed Undertaker to make him grow up was so he could be in a relationship with Astre and be Earl.</p><p>But he couldn't have that now.</p><p>"I-I want the second one." Ciel decided</p><p>Astre nodded and began the ritual to make Ciel a golem.</p><p>He stumbled through the Latin spell Claude had instructed him to say, but he did not falter.</p><p>The demon then began to picture how Ciel looked like before that month, knowing that he had picture what he wnated his golem to look like.</p><p>The wounds on Ciel’s body from Undertaker’s surgeries disappeared; he began to shrink, going from their five foot height down to four; all signs of puberty left and he regained the softness of childhood.</p><p>Then, clothes began to form itself onto Ciel’s body: the beige sailor suits they always wore as children, to be specific.</p><p>“Is it done, Astre?” Ciel asked, his voice higher than before</p><p>Ciel gasped, he sounded like a kid again.</p><p>He then caught a glimpse of his own reflection in Astre’s eye: it had worked.</p><p>He got off the table and ran up to his brother, hugging him close.</p><p>He barely reached his little brother’s chest now.</p><p>“I guess you’re not the little brother anymore, huh, Astre.” Ciel mumbled</p><p>Astre chuckled a bit, hugging his brother close, “It seems so.”</p><p>A few minutes master, Sebastian walked in to check up on the ritual to make sure everything was working and he was greeted with a wonderful sight.</p><p>He saw his sweet Astre kneeling in front of his older brother, smiling at him.</p><p>Said older brother —or was it younger brother now— hugging a Bitter Rabbit that was nearly his size.</p><p>Astre looked at him and got Ciel’s attention, “I think you two need a proper introduction this time.”</p><p>***</p><p>One hundred and thirty-two years later, in New York City, Ciel Phantomhive was a spoiled child.</p><p>Or rather, Ciel Michaelis was, as he and Astre had left their last name behind along with their old lives.</p><p>It was still strange to him to address Astre as his mother and Sebastian as his father while in public, but he did it either way.</p><p>Getting up from the couch where he had been watching cartoons, the eternally ten year old boy walked to the kitchen.</p><p>He frowned a bit when he saw Astre and Sebastian slow dancing in their to the song “A Thousand Years”.</p><p>Ciel still romantically loved his brother and still deeply envied Sebastian on that regard, but he had made peace with it long ago.</p><p>Sebastian was a good man and he treated Astre right, so Ciel didn’t mind.</p><p>As the song ended, the two dancing demons finally noticed the golem’s presence.</p><p>“It’s movie night.” Ciel awkwardly said, pointing to the calendar where it read it was currently Friday</p><p>“Oh, right, yes.” Astre said, a heavy blush on his face, “Did you pick something out?”</p><p>“Not yet.” The golem admitted</p><p>“Let’s pick something out while Sebastian makes the snacks.” Astre offered, taking his twin’s hand and leading him back to the living room</p><p>After about a half hour of scrolling through their various streaming services, the twins decided on rewatching “Coraline” as Sebastian walked in.</p><p>The older demon set the bowl of caramel corn down besides a platter of chocolate covered strawberries.</p><p>Both of the twins ate it along with their favorite drink: London Fogs.</p><p>Sebastian sat on the opposite side of his mate, sipping at an espresso while half-watching the movie, half-watching his family.</p><p>Life was good.</p><p>The three of them spent eternity together, traveling the world, occasionally visiting Alois and Claude.</p><p>They all lived happily ever after.</p><p>The end.</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. The ‘V’ in Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning: this is the cielcest ending</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre walked into the room where Ciel was waiting for the ritual to begin.</p><p>"You don't want me to have anything in my life that's not you. And you expected it to go back to being like that once you got Sebastian out of the way, didn't you? That I'd go back to being the weak little brother that needed you." Astre said as he walked in</p><p>Ciel didn't know what to say, caught off guard having no retort and not wanting to confirm the truth.</p><p>Astre laughed a bit, "Your silence is damning, Ciel, I suspect I'm completely right? You know I probably wouldn't have been against trying out a Ménage à Trois and elevating that to a polyamorous relationship if you had just been honest from the start. Instead of coming back and berating me and being cruel, you could have come bearing gifts but not in the mocking way you did. You could have brought Sebastian back to me and explained what had happened to you. And I would have welcomed you back with open arms."</p><p>The older twin then hung his head in shame, his sapphire eyes welling up with red tinted tears.</p><p>Astre sighed, "But, I am also aware of the lies Undertaker has fed you with Lizzy's help. Because of that, I am not as mad at you as I was. But I am still very angry, Ciel. You took my blood without my consent, you forced me to dress up like a doll and you used Sebastian's life to keep me in line.”</p><p>Ciel hung his head down in shame.</p><p>“For that you deserve nothing from me at all, not a damn thing; you deserve nothing but I am willing to give you something. I have had a discussion with Sebastian and he is willing to share me with you.”</p><p>“H-He is?” Ciel asked, disbelief clear in his voice</p><p>“There would be conditions, of course, but he is open to the idea.” Astre clarified, “Basically, he would be my husband and you would be my mistress.”</p><p>The older twin frowned but accepted it, it was the best he deserved after what Undertaker had talked him into.</p><p>With that, Astre began the ritual to make Ciel a golem.</p><p>He stumbled through the Latin spell Claude had instructed him to say, but he did not falter.</p><p>The demon then began to picture how Ciel looked like before that month, knowing that he had picture what he wanted his golem to look like.</p><p>The wounds on Ciel's body from Undertaker's surgeries disappeared, his body repaired itself as if it had never died.</p><p>"Is it done, Astre?" Ciel asked,”</p><p>He then caught a glimpse of his own reflection in Astre's eye: it had worked.</p><p>He got off the table and ran up to his brother, hugging him close.</p><p>A few minutes later, Sebastian walked in to check up on the ritual to make sure everything was working and he was greeted with a wonderful sight.</p><p>He saw his sweet Astre hugging his older brother, smiling at him.</p><p>Astre looked at him and got Ciel's attention, "I think you two need a proper introduction this time."</p><p>***</p><p>One hundred and thirty-two years later, in New York City, Ciel Phantomhive was bored.</p><p>Currently, he found himself dressed in an olive green T-shirt, black shorts and black thigh-high socks with matching combat boots.</p><p>All he had to do right now was to remain in his hiding spot and wait before fulfilling his brother’s orders.</p><p>Seeing the door below the perch he was hidden in open, the undead boy made himself blend in better with the shadows —courtesy of the slight demon magic he had thanks to his golem bond with Astre.</p><p>Entering the room was his younger brother and said brother’s current master.</p><p>Ciel could not even remember the man’s name, he just remembered he was some douche who wanted an easy way to fame and fortune.</p><p>Astre had delivered that wish and made the man incredibly successful and give him one year to live as a celebrity.</p><p>That year still had a few weeks left in it, but Astre had discovered that the man was trying to weasel his way out of paying for his side of the deal.</p><p>And because killing a master was a big no-no to demons, Astre could do nothing to truly stop him.</p><p>That is where Ciel came in as the rules prevented Astre from killing his master, it said nothing about having him killed.</p><p>Once the demon and master made it about halfway into the room, their backs still turned to the hidden golem, Ciel silently drilled to the ground and landed on his feet.</p><p>Taking his gun out of safety, he crept his way towards the human and pressed the barrel of the gun to the back of his head.</p><p>While he could not see it, the undead blunette knew the man’s eyes were bulging.</p><p>“P-Please don’t kill me. I’ll give you anything: money, liquor, celebrity nudes, whatever you want.”</p><p>Astre rolled his uncovered eye, “I have no interest in any of that seeing that I practically gave you all of that. We had a very simple deal: your soul for a year of fame. It is not my fault you forced my hand to collect two weeks early, never try to trick a demon out of its meal, it never turns out well.”</p><p>Astre then looked to his brother, “Ciel, be a dead and put this failure out of his misery.”</p><p>The golem did not have to be told twice and shot him right at he back of his head.</p><p>Ciel watched as his younger twin pulled out the man’s purple soul, let it solidified into an amethyst in his palm and then popped it like a pill.</p><p>As Astre was fed, Ciel felt himself get refreshed and back to full strength —golems were nourished by their masters being nourished, after all.</p><p>Stepping over the corpse, Astre pulled his brother in for a deep kiss.</p><p>Ciel eagerly kissed back, dominating the kiss like he usually did.</p><p>After they parted, Astre laid his head on his twin’s shoulder, “Let’s go home, Sebastian is probably bored to pieces.”</p><p>With that, the demon teleported them across town to their penthouse.</p><p>Ciel watched as Astre greeted the older demon with a kiss.</p><p>While Ciel had never forgiven Sebastian for eating his soul just as Sebastian had never forgiven him for turning him into a low quirky Bizarre Doll and hurting Astre, they both kept their space.</p><p>The two of them treated their relationships with Astre as separate things as they only minimally interacted with each other if their lover was not present.</p><p>Astre knew his mate and his twin had a tentative trust and did not complain, just hoping they could get along better as the centuries passed.</p><p>The three of them lived happily ever after together forever.</p><p>The end.</p>
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